Living a Loud Life
by TheGreatestWriter
Summary: Entering the adult world can be scary and stressful. In the most difficult times, one should find somebody to lean on. When it comes to Clyde McBride, he may need to find that person quicker than ever, especially given his living conditions.
1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

 **This is what months of writer's block on one story makes me do. To be honest, I was itching to write something slightly different with the Loud House cast then what was previously written, before. Namely, I wanted a story not focused on Lincoln or any of the usual sisters that are put into the spotlight as somewhat of a challenge for myself. This is the end result. I hope you enjoy.**

 **Living a Loud Life**

 **Chapter 1: Sanctuary, Sanctuary**

Heavy steps and heavier breaths carried an exhausted figure up several flights of stairs. Exiting onto the 3rd floor, the long-winded young man dragged himself down the hall. A pair of dark khaki trousers and a striped yellow and blue dress shirt clad tightly to the tired fellow's acorn skin. On his left wrist, a silver watch stylized in roman numerals affixed itself. His hair was shaped into a high top that was a few days overdue a trip to the barbershop. Situated on the ridge of his nose, one could locate his pair of round glasses, lenses slightly smudged.

To say Clyde McBride wasn't in the best of moods would barely cover it. After waking up late for his internship, tripping twice on the way to his bus, finding a new hole in his favorite pair of socks, and insulting research head the poor young man was looking forward to a nice relaxing time in his apartment.

Unfortunately for him, his roommates had other plans.

"I told you it was mine! I was saving that for later!"

"Oh yeah, well you should've labeled it then."

"Who labels a piece of cake?!"

"Someone who clearly wants to eat it. Or someone who has a birthday."

"Ugh, you're the worst!"

"No, I'm the best!"

 _"Great, just what I wanted._ "

The voices emanating from within immediately broke the brief respite felt when entering inside. Yelling back and forth in the middle of the kitchen were Clyde's two least favorite people at this current moment: Lana and Lola Loud. If this was childhood, he could simply walk out that door and head on home, avoiding the great fallout from a Loud sister feud. However, at this time he could not do that for he was already home. Lana and Lola were his roommates.

Clyde was not all too happy about that.

"Hello? You two alright in there?"

"Oh, Clyde! Perfect, you came just in time. Now we can end this once and for all."

"Hmph. Well the answer is a no brainer if you ask me but go ahead and ask away if you want."

"Look guys, I'm not really looking to get in between whatever you two are arguing about today. I mean just today I-"

"Ah, come on, man! This won't take long at all." The eagerness Lana spoke with broke what little resistance had. With a sigh and a nod, he relented into listening in.

With gusto, Lana excitedly continued. "Hear me out: yesterday at work I got to take home some cake after the party we had for Bob's retirement."

"You mean the bucktooth guy who had that sponge accident?"

"No, I'm talking about the builder."

"Huh, who would've guessed."

"Just get to the point where I'm right, Lana."

"…Anyways, I ate half of my slice last night and put the rest of it on a plate."

"Which was not labeled, I might add."

"Sure, Lola, because everybody does that."

"Everyone with a brain."

"Why you-"

"Ladies, please! What happened next?"

Lola snorted, earning a scornful look from Lana before went on. "It just so happened that I came back home today looking to finish off that bad boy of a dessert when I caught miss SNOOTY here licking the last of the frosting off of the plate!"

"Please, I wouldn't be caught dead licking a dish like some common dog."

"But, you did eat it?" Clyde bluntly asked. "The cake, I mean."

Lola paused for a few seconds before answering. "Why, yes, I did."

A singular palm found its way sliding down the front of Clyde's face. "Alright then, what do you need me here for?"

"Lola says she had every right to eat it."

"There's no law anywhere that states I'm wrong."

"While I know miss doodoo head here if full of shit."

"Excuse me?"

"Alright, alright I get it. So, all you want to know is if-"

"I was right." Lola staunchly proclaimed.

"Or she was wrong." Lana spat.

" _Oh boy._ "

It was moments like these, when living with these twins, that Clyde dreaded the most. More than any of the siblings his best friend Lincoln had, Lana and Lola had a deadest rivalry bordering on full antagonism at times. Every little thing could turn into a war between them and being caught in the middle was a sure way to end up bruised, whether mentally or in the extreme cases, physically.

They were at their worst however, whenever they needed someone to decide something between them. No one wants to be on the receiving end of one of these two if you side with the other. Yet it seemed that today, inevitably, Clyde would have to be the deciding factor in this matter.

The increasingly sweaty center of attention focuses his gaze on Lana. A steel blue utility vest was worn unzipped on her torso, with a pistachio colored polo laying underneath. Dark gray mechanic pants, adorned with pockets Clyde assumed were filled to the brim with an assortment of tools, covered her legs all the way down to her chestnut boots. A maroon baseball cap turned backwards partially covered her dirty blonde hair, the rest flowing a little past her shoulders in two pigtails. She seemed to be trying her best to don the most sympathy garnering puppy dog eyes imaginable, although the grease stains spotted around her face distracted from them a bit.

Clyde shifted his focus over to Lola, whose face was composed in as innocent a semblance as possible. Her figure was hugged by a pale pink pencil dress. A cropped white cardigan clung to her upper torso with its long sleeves ending right where a pair of pastel floral lace gloves. Her hair, dyed to a more consistent golden blonde, flowed down to the middle of her back. All in all, she looked pristine, elegant even, like a princess.

To be honest, Clyde didn't know who to choose. It could be said that he looked for the best in people as he often gave them blind trust. He wasn't the best at seeing a person's true colors, especially on a glance. Still, he knew Lana and Lola for years. Seasonal and calendar changes gave him time to know more about a person and without a shadow of a doubt he knew that Lana, while sneaky at times, had an honest heart while Lola was a master of deception. Lies came second nature to her, and she often used them with her stage acting skills to get things to fall the way she wanted. That wasn't to say she never said the truth as in serious moments, she often broke her façade. This wasn't a serious fight, nor should it be something, Clyde thought, that should be taking up his time.

" _Why does it have to be me?"_

He could think of at least five different things he could be doing. Still, it wasn't in a McBride's nature, and certainly not his, to forgo help.

"I think…from the evidence gathered here, that while both of you have compelling arguments and staunch cases for them…"

"Just get to the point, poindexter."

"Uh, well, it does stand to reason that there was no way to tell that the cake Lana put in the fridge was meant to be saved."

"What?!"

"HA! In your face!"

"However,"

"…What?"

"The fact that Lola has a far greater history of mishandling other people's property for her own personal gain cannot be ignored. Consequently, it can only be logically deduced that Lola would have eaten the cake regardless of whether she knew it was meant specific person or not. Therefore, to conclude, Lola's untrustworthiness proves Lana right and that's all folks. Igottagonowbye!"

With that, Clyde scurried away to his room, leaving the pair of blonde sisters in a befuddled stupor.

"Hold on. Did he just… nah, there's no way…I'M untrustworthy!?"

"I'm right…"

"Seriously, of all the people in the world HE claims I have problems using other people's stuff? I'm sure Mr. 'I'm-such-a-saint' has used something without someone else's permission."  
"He said I was right!"

Suddenly, a smile that could outshine a thousand suns etched itself onto Lana's face. She called down the hall Clyde had disappeared down, her voice filled with happiness."

"Thanks for having my back, Clyde! You won't regret it!"

"Oho, you are _so_ going to regret this."

" _Oh, I already regret it._ "

The twist of a knob and push on a door was all it took to enter the sanctity of one of the bedrooms in the abode. A breath Clyde had unconsciously been holding prisoner released itself from its imprisonment.

"Home sweet home."

With a shrug of his shoulders, the tired resident laid down the canvas knapsack he'd been carrying on the wooden floor. His parents had been adamant about it being wood. Carpeted interiors didn't do well for Clyde's allergies. Kneeling down, he rummaged through his bag pulling out all the essential's he'd need, his laptop, computer charger, and couple of papers. A hop and a skip away were all it took to cross over the space and reach his desk. Seating himself on a rickety wooden seat, reminding himself to get one of those rolling computer chairs saw advertised, he placed his laptop in front of him and began booting it up.

"Living with two sisters when you're the only guy can be pain. It's even more of a pain when you're not related to them. As a matter of fact- wait, I don't have inner monologues? Ah, man, I was looking forward to those!"

For the past year, Clyde had been attending grad school on a scholarship, doing research under a renowned biologist and working his way to earn a doctorate. On his path towards earning said title, part of his time was spent working as a T.A. for one of the undergrad classes in the chemistry department. Initially, Clyde was keen to be assisting in the teaching of younger minds, yet his enthusiasm waned day after day when it dawned on him that Chemistry 101 wasn't the most engaging of classes.

(Considering I was able to skip over that class due to my AP Chem tests, I consider myself lucky. Okay, okay! No more, 4th walk breaking!)

Grading the many assignments written by students was by far the most boring part of his day. At least with labs, Clyde could work directly with people, engaging in conversation and seeing the application of concepts and methodology learned. With grading it was simply an answer sheet and a pen. Everything was carefully and painstakingly ordered already and there was no room for interpretation. The professor for this course, having a class just size slightly under the average, was able to get away with the use of written tests, having a distinct distrust of scantrons due to a few articles he happened to read online.

It was because of this that Clyde McBride had to go through 30 different chemistry tests and grade them, by hand, over the weekend. Reaching over, Clyde pulled open the desk drawer and pulled out a bottle of lens cleaning solution. Spraying it a specialized cloth, he began wiping the smears off of his glasses. It was bad enough having to deal with school work on top of his research work on top of Lana and Lola, but dealing with issues of unkemptness? That's where Clyde drew the line.

Looking back on it, Clyde examined the recent fight between the twins, if you could even call it that. The relationship he had with them was…unusual, to say the least. It just so happened that the year Clyde got accepted into his grad school of choice was also the year the two Loud sisters had graduated from their undergraduate university. Lana wanted to go straight into the workforce, not interested in earning anything past her bachelor's and Lola put herself into the entertainment industry as soon as possible. While they would never say it out loud, the truth was they were never interested in being too far apart from one another. When it happened that both of their interests aligned in one city, they jumped on the opportunity.

Unfortunately, the cost of rent was bit out of their price range. The few other siblings who lived in the area already had living plans with other people and it seemed like when it came to their dreams, there was no such luck.

That's when Lincoln Loud stepped in. He and Clyde had been rooming together in the city for months already, himself laboring as an inker for an up and coming indie comics studio. When the company had shifted offices further north, Lincoln found himself an extremely small apartment that would give a hermit crab a run for its money. The snow-haired young man had stated that he was already used to the limited space given his childhood household and was prepared for the adjustment so long as it was okay with Clyde. The bespectacled friend was understanding of the situation, but he needed his own solution to the predicament he faced now that he was down a second tenant, the first having broken off from them on strained terms.

"Why don't I just live with your sisters then?"

The spray that shot out from Lincoln's spit-take that day could be felt on cheekbones miles away. For the half hour or so after, the Loud son had tried rationalizing the complete insanity that was that idea. Yet for every listed reason as to why sharing a space with Lola or Lana would lead to utter misery for him, Clyde had a logical argument to reason them away. Eventually, Lincoln yielded his position, most likely out of pure curiosity, and got his best friend in contact with his siblings. The rest was history as far as Lincoln was concerned.

" _Sadly, for me, that wasn't the case_."

Clyde really did wonder if he made the right choice that day. Sure, he didn't have to apartment hunting in what was already a housing scarce section of the town, but also now lived with two of the most conflicting personalities in the world. Forget "home sweet home", on his way home from the university all he traded was one mountain of stress for another. That isn't to say he disliked Lana and Lola, far from it. Yet, there merely was no escape from being in contact with a trigger towards his anxiety.

Picking up the only red pen in his collection off the desk in front of him, Clyde grabbed an exam off the top of the pile and began comparing it to the answer sheet opened on the laptop before him. Noticing a mistake, the weary T.A. started to put ink to paper in order put down a red mark, the first of many to come he mused.

Lo and behold, the pen was dry.

Despite the narrator's protests, Clyde looked deadpan through the fourth wall.

"Yup, it's one of those days."


	2. Chapter 2

**Author's Note**

 **I don't think every chapter is going to have an approximate equal length. This chapter is shorter than the last, but I feel like it tells it story well enough. Anyways, I hope you enjoy.**

 **Living a Loud Life**

 **Chapter 2: New Car Smell**

The first few specks of light had barely cracked over a new morning sky. Dew was still freshly attached to vegetation outside. The air was crisp and devoid of the hustle and bustle that would come with each following hour. It was the perfect sunrise for Lana to get started for a brand-new shiny day.

"You smell that world? That's the smell of a fresh start…aaand an overdue body wash."

Jumping out from underneath her covers, she grabbed a toothbrush, toothpaste, and a bar of soap and headed towards the bathroom down the hall. One of the humps, you had to get used to in apartment of this size was sharing communal space. Aside from the bedrooms which offered moderate privacy, everything was essentially open for every tenant. Even the bathroom door lacked a lock. Lola had complained about it when they'd first arrived and demanded that Lana fix it, but Lana saw it as but a minor inconvenience at best, not worth the touch of her handyman fingers.

That isn't to say that Lana did no work around the place. In the first week the twins started living here, Lana took stock of every faulty appliance, scraped floor, and damaged wall. The next Monday she hauled in a huge amount of supplies and went to town fixing damn near everything she could touch, aside from Lola's bathroom door request that is.

The leaky faucet in the kitchen sink? Fixed. The coffee table near in front of the couch with the noticeable dent? Sanded and lacquered to perfection. The faulty thermostat that nearly set the apartment on fire? Tinkered with and repaired.

That loudmouth of her sister's which wouldn't shut up?

" _Mm…I'll get to that eventually."_

Lana was shuffling these thoughts around when her leg unexpectedly met with a furry friend. Gazing down, a smile crossed her face.

"Oh, well look who it is, up and at'em this early!"

Lana laid a hand down and gave a loving rub to her dog, Charleston. Technically speaking, the contract to the apartment was iffy about pets, only allowing them in cases of mental health or disability. Luckily for her, Clyde's history with psychiatrists gave him the permission of having one such pet. Of course, he only got said dog after Lana begged him, saddened that she couldn't take her aging pets at home with her after already being away with them in college.

Charleston wasn't her only pet she lived with, however. Echo, a gecko, Ferb, a gerbil, Sunny a goldfish, and an emperor scorpion named Sting were all animal residents of Lana's space. Despite her working multiple jobs, the blondie still found periods each day to feed each of her animals as well as care for all their hygienic needs, occasionally at the expense of her own. While Lana was comfortable with her dirtiness, she was aware of the necessity in keeping her fauna in a clean environment. Her personal mess was confined to her side of the room after all.

"Good boy, good boy. You want some food? Go for a walk?"

The Doberman breed gave a happy bark in response.

"I hear you and I will. I gotta wash up a little though, now. Keep it quiet, okay? We don't want to wake up Lola and go through another one of her outbursts like last time."

Removing her hand, the young woman crossed through the doorway of the bathroom. Closing said door, she put down the items in her hands and began removing her articles of sleepwear, a light green tank top and pair of navy gym shorts. Stepping in front of the toilet, she removed the washcloth hanging above on a stainless-steel towel bar. Drawing the shower curtains aside, Lana climbed into the porcelain bathtub, turning the handle and letting the waterdrops fall onto her needy skin. Yes, Lana wasn't the most seeking person when it came to a bath or any form of bodily maintenance. The idea of makeup, fashion, and really cleanliness had always been a load of hogwash in her mind and in a way, a contradictory of her honest identity. To her, the layers of filth earned after manual labor was quintessential to who she was.

With a washcloth in one hand, and a bar of soap in the other, Lana began wiping down her body of all the filth and muck accumulated. Two days of sweat, dirt, and grease stains peeled off her skin like painter's tape off a wall. As sheets of particles were rubbed away, so too, was the stench of smoke, grime, oil, and fur. Taking some suds, she started to scrub at her scalp, loosening all the amassed specks both hidden and visible in her hair.

Indifference was the mentality Lana took when it came to her sun colored tresses. She never found herself particular or wanting of one style over another. Several of her sisters had recommended different cuts, ranging from pixie to trying out curls, yet she had always declined. Like being clean, the mere idea of setting aside multiple minutes to maintain a mane everyday was entirely ridiculous to her. It was a huge time waster and made her feel like Lola of all people.

Sighing, Lana voiced her frustration to no one. "Can I go one hour without having her name in my head?"

That was something she had to do. Stop comparing herself to her.

It was hard though. Harder than she thought, now more than ever. Living together just the two of the plus one meant that a good portion of her week was spent in a space with her being one of two foreign faces to look at. To be fair, the comparisons weren't started by her. Everybody already did it the second they learned one of the two was an identical twin, as if there was some spell that drew people to investigate the similarities themselves.

"Tch, it's all stupid Lola's fault. If she wasn't such a show off, we wouldn't get half the annoying attention we do."

Truthfully, Lana had grown accustomed to having part of herself, in essence, shared with someone else. She'd of course, known Lola her whole life, and sharing with her, whether she liked it or not, wasn't something she'd been nurtured to live with. Still, it didn't make it any easier. There was the voice in her head that whispered every now and then that Lola resented being a twin, but Lana ignored it, as best as she could. Simply put, she'd accepted the circumstances she was born in and did her best to deal with them.

Perhaps that's part of the reason she came to live with her.

" _Forget about her. It's time to focus on me and the present."_

Foregoing those feelings, Lana turned the shower dial off and got out. After hanging up her washcloth, she used the towel hanging next to it and dried the droplets left along her stark figure, from her worn feet to her moist hair. Wrapping the somewhat damp towel around herself, the laved lass grasped her toothbrush and toothpaste. Squeezing out a sizeable dollop of the dentifrice on the bristles, Lana set to work scouring her molars and incisors. Stopping after 40 seconds, she closed her mouth and gargled before spitting out the mixture of saliva and cleaning fluids into the sink below. Opening wide, she inspected her teeth. Satisfied, she turned the faucet on and drained the ill concoction down the drain. Picking up the pajamas she tossed down earlier, Lana collected the remainder of her items and exited the lavatory.

Not one for modesty, Lana strolled casually through the hall back to her room. She briefly wondered where Charleston could have gone but figured he was moseying around in the kitchen, waiting for his bowl to be filled. In her never-ending train of thought Lana's brain came onto the subject of Clyde.

Her and Clyde didn't exactly have some unbroken bond since they were kids. When one boiled it down, they're relationship had always been associates having the mutual acquaintance of Lincoln, granted one of them was related. Even moving into living together, their connection had changed much beyond the occasional request for food or help around the apartment. Clyde kind of kept to himself, and while Lola might've been apathetic to it all, Lana was a bit wanting for a friendship of sorts, outside of work that is.

Notwithstanding the unspoken distance, Lana hadn't been blind everything involving Clyde. Sharing space together led to a person picking up on another's quirks, both good and bad. Despite his many stories on the matter, Lincoln hadn't explained quite well enough just how much of a clean freak Clyde could be. Call it O.C.D., germaphobia, or a sanitary upbringing but it was clear that something in his head drove him to have all of his personal belongings in an orderly manner. Lola once had some orange juice and left the carton accidentally open in the fridge. The poor guy nearly had a panic attack when he saw it later. What's more is that when it came to his work, something he didn't talk much about with them, it was easy to see whether he was having a good or bad day. The tells in his body language, from the nervous rubbing of an arm, to the sing song bobbing of his head, made his mood all the more clear in her eyes.

Yet what was arguably most fascinating to Lana, was that her roommate seemed to share, to a certain degree, her brother's innate stance to help others out. Yes, there was bit more cowardice in some scenarios, usually involving her twin. However, more often than not he came through with his promises.

"Heh, considering Lola and I's little spat, it seems like at least one human in this place has my back."

Upon returning to her room, Lana dropped her towel and pajamas again on the floor. Placing her bath products on top of her four-drawer beech dresser, she opened the compartments to gather her attire for the day. With a quickness, she began putting on her outfit. In less than minute she was fully clothed in a moss green mechanic shirt and faded denim overalls. Grabbing her hat, the only constant of what she wore, the young Ms. Loud maneuvered out of her room, going into the kitchen to get both her and Charleston something nourishing to really wake up.


	3. Chapter 3

**Living a Loud Life**

 **Chapter 3: The Most Important Meal of the Day**

The smell of food sunk its teeth into Clyde and dragged him out of bed. In the kitchen he came to the welcome surprise of Lana preparing a breakfast for kings. Scrambled eggs, piles of bacon, pancake stacks, and dozens of different berries were spread across the dining table. The fair-haired chef was putting the finishing touches on the last batch of flapjacks, a look of great concentration etched onto her face.

"Have I stumbled into some strange alternate universe, or is Lana Loud actually cooking?"

The veritable cook threw a smirk back at him. "No, this isn't one of your dorky comics. I actually learned something from my high school home rec class."

"Okay, but what's the occasion?"

"Well…I figured since someone saw fit to do right be me last night, the least I could do is pay them back with food. Of course, I also realized I was getting hungry, so I made some more and it all just came out from that."

"You…wow I mean…you didn't have to do all this."

"Hey, hey, it's cool, man. This is cool. We're cool. It's all cool."

"Yeah, yeah, I gotcha. Still a surprise to see."

"Don't get used to this by the way. I'm no Iron Chef and this is honestly far more nerve wracking than any woodshop project I ever had."

With a chuckle and a nod, Clyde assisted Lana in getting the last of the dishes to the round table, an act of chivalry befitting a knight of Arthurian legend. Just as the two sat down on opposite sides, Lola strode into the room, her gait that of a runway model aware that all eyes were on her. A matching shell pink nightgown and robe were fitted around her, and a pair of fuzzy white slippers adorned her feet.

Lola eyed the assembly of food before them curiously, before inquiring. "Umm, what is this?"

Lana, not sparing a passing glance, seemed content with avoiding the question of her twin and focused on wolfing down on as many pancakes as possible. Irked from being ignored, Lola weaved herself to the stove, examining the pans as if they contained trace amounts of poison. Not wanting to extend the awkward scene anymore, Clyde decided to volunteer the information himself.

"Well, this is the breakfast that Lana made."

Lola spun around, taken aback for a second before eyeing the table evermore suspiciously.

"You mean to tell me, SHE made all this?"

"SHE's right here you-"

"She made it for all of us."

"You did?"

"I did?"

"Of course, I did. What am I, a cold, uptight, being that calls herself a lady?"

"Lana-"

"Would you like any bacon, Lola?"

"As much as I am grateful for your consideration, I'm trying to avoid eating as many fatty foods as possible. It's part of my diet."

"Oh, for the love of god, Lola. One measly piece of meat isn't going to shatter your perfect body image. Come on, just one bite."

Lola pensively rolled the idea over in her head. "Well…I guess it wouldn't hurt."

"Of course, it won't! Not immediately, anyways."

Skeptical but hungry, Lola took a seat for herself and began delicately picking food for her plate, poking it as if it were a scientific experiment.

"Are you sure you didn't put anything in this?"

"What? You too chicken to find out?"

A sneer wormed its way onto Lola's face. Much like her elder sister Lynn, Lola was never the one to back down from competition, especially from her other half.

"Oh, I'll make you eat those words."

With that declaration, Lola took her tentative first bite of the pancake before her. The self-proclaimed princess mulled the piece over in her mouth with a few slow chews before swallowing. Both Clyde and Lana waited with baited breath for her visible reaction. For a brief second, the flicker of a smile seemed to appear on Lola's face. Yet in a flash it was gone replaced with a general look of disdain.

"I'd give this meal a rating of barely passable. Still, it's good work for you, Lana."

"Up yours, asshole."

Quickly getting up, Lana exited the kitchen, not even bothering to clean up anything.

"I guess that old saying was true. If you can't handle the heat, you'd best stay out of the kitchen."

Those words, combined with the situation precluding it, led Clyde to give himself the facepalm of all ages, both hands being needed to support the dismay in his head. Glancing up for a second however, he noticed an odd sight before him. Lola was rapidly consuming the food before her, one pancake bite after the other.

"Uhhh..."

"Got a problem, McBride?"

Clyde cleared his throat as a student in front of an unimpressed teacher would. He had to admit, at times Lola scared him. There were times where talking with her was like facing off against a fire breathing dragon, just waiting to torch any point or argument you bring to a discussion. The irony between her fiery attitude and graceful appearance was not lost on Clyde.

"It's just weird that you're still eating despite your vocal distaste."

"Well, I'm not gonna let the flour I bought go to waste."

"Yeah well you're really digging into them with your sister out of sight. I'd say it looks like you actually enjoy her pancakes."

An almost cartoonish and slow swallow led into Lola sputtering for words.

"W-what? You think I actually this…this discount homecooked meal? You're preposterous, Clyde. Not in a million years would I ever find contentment in Lana's baking? Why these pancakes are disgustingly sweet, fluffy, light, heavenly…scrumptious…"

"Riiiiight, nothing tasty about them at all."

"Ahem. In any case, I'm not in any rush this morning. My boss is out of town discussing a recent pitch so I'm basically just keeping her office orderly while she's out."

"How is working at your dream job? I mean, you're working under one of the top producer's in the television business. To be doing that, and so quickly, is nothing short of incredible."

"While I appreciate your admiration, it's not as wondrous as it sounds. Being a production secretary basically[J1] amounts to me being a slightly more respected PA. Granted after being the latter for so long, it's nice to be able to boss around the newer ones ever now and then. Still, my job on a normal basis is load after load of busy work with bouts of running around interspersed throughout. There are times, like today, where things are fairly slow, a few calls here and a few emails to be copied there. Yet there are also days with next to no breaks. It's the crunch that gets you, that several week period before the finished project is put out where everything must fall in place. That's what weeds the weak out from the strong. That's what determines whether you're made for the business or will be broken by it."

"So…things are good?"

"Did you hear a single thing I said? Of course, things are good."

"Well that's great to hear."

"In all honesty, I'm glad things are going well for you, Lola. Not that I've ever wanted things not to go well but, well from what I can see, you're a hard worker. Everything you've gotten up to this point, you've earned. I know that you fantasize about being a princess every now and then and having everything handed to you on a silver platter but when all is said and done, you've practically earned your crown at this point."

A faint blush touched Lola's cheeks and nose.

"He, well, you're not so off base when you put it like that. Thanks."

"Don't sweat it. You and Lana need to be reminded of how awesome you are every now and then."

Lola's eye twitched. "Both of us, eh?"

The glasses wearing young man began picking dishes off the table and put them into the sink to wash. All the while he continued speaking, ignorant of the change in emotion of his listener.

"Yeah, I mean maybe I'm looking way too much into the whole twin thing, but it's crazy how alike you are in some respects. I mean there's so much you have in common: your work ethic, your passion-"

"Clyde dearie?"

Stopping mid-rant, he turned around. "Yes?"

"Perhaps you should be off now. I can't imagine a conversation like this being beneficial to you getting to your bus stop on time."

"The bus? Oh shoot, I totally forgot!"

"I beg your pardon?"

"Last night's rainstorm brought down some trees along roads. One of those happened to be near my stop and they decided to delay the schedule so they can go through with the pickup."

"So just text your pretty little lab buddies that you're going to be late and go about your merry way with the free time you have."

"I would except today isn't a lab day. It's the day my class is supposed to get back their exams and I have a third of them in my bag!"

"Ah, well that's a shame."

Panicking, Clyde ran his fingers through his hair, scratching his scalp in a subconscious effort to make his brain come up with an answer. "Aaargh! What am I supposed to do? I have to be there by 8:15 at the latest and there's no way I could make that on foot!"

"Well, if it's transportation you need-"

"I'd be more than happy to help!"

All attention turned Lana who had returned to the room.

"What kind of good roomie would I be if I didn't help my own roommate out in their time of need? Besides, there were some tools I had to pick up at the hardware store near your campus."

"Oh man, thank you so much! You're a lifesaver, Lana."

"NOW WAIT JUST A DAMN MINUTE."

That screech of harpy drew the spotlight back on Lola, not very pleased with development of the situation before her.

"Before you so rudely interrupted me, sis, I was in the process of letting Clyde here know that I'd be more than happy to chauffeur him to his morning class. With my schedule clear for the morning anyways, I have nothing better to do at the time. You can take your stupid, grease covered butt and drive to get those supplies all by your lonesome self."

The overall clad sister gritted her teeth before biting back. "First off, don't tell me where I can go. Second, which one of us remembered to fill up their tanks this weekend instead of trying on new nail polish all night?"

Lola's face tinged red in a mixture of embarrassment and anger while Lana smugly pushed on.

"That's right, this greasy butt did. So how about you stay in your little tower princess while the real adults go out in the world."

That seemed to shut up Lola for a good five seconds before she inevitably had more to say on the matter.

"It's true. I didn't fill up my tank yesterday. I was preoccupied with other activities. Will all that being said, I'm practically on empty here sis and I really need a ride myself."

Clyde, perplexed by this sudden turn of events, jumped into the conversation. "You mean to tell me you're completely out of gas? How? Have you not been paying attention to your fuel gauge?"

"Unlike some mindless capitalists, McBride, I make sure the value of every cent of gasoline I payed for does not go to waste. To me, every purchase must be used to its fullest."

"Oh please, if it's anything like high school, you probably have half your attention focused on your dumb phone while the other fifty percent is giving the minimum amount of focus to the road."

"Wait you use your phone while you drive? You know research has pointed to the effects of using a cellular device while in the process of driving to be just as if not more dangerous than drinking and driving. At least tell me you're only using it for calls."

"Pfft, you wish. Lola here is the classic example of 'capitalist' fallen victim to a society of texting while driving. How else do you think she nearly got her license taken away in her junior year? The second fender bender almost did it for her?"

"Why am I just finding out about all this now? You know even if you had gas, I don't think could ride with you Lola, for physical and mental health."

"Yeah, it's really easy to gang up on someone, huh? I sincerely doubt either of your are accident free in your entire driving history."

"Actually I am." Clyde stated.

"Same." Lana simply responded.

"W-well it's not like I'm in the minority when it comes to this kind of issue. I mean there has to be tons of people who get into accidents with their cars by my age!"

"There are. None of them live in this apartment but you though."

"Alright," the pink young woman took a deep breath in and out before continuing. "I will forego my ego for the moment to once again ask if I can get a ride."

"I don't think you realize how rich seeing you beg is. It's like the kid in class who forgot their homework and calls their mom up to bring it. Seriously, give me one good reason why I should help you out."

"You were the one to mention being a good roommate means helping your roommates in need out."

Lola's argument snatched Lana's smile off her face.

"Don't twist my words against me."

"She has a point."

"Clyde!"

"Yeah, I do. Tell her Clyde!"

"Well I'm just saying that it wouldn't necessarily be fair to give your word for something like that at one point and then immediately go back on it the next. Truthfully, I think those are words all three of us should live by while being together. I mean aside from a few meals and random conversations, when have the three of us actually done something constructive or meaningful together? I mean what better way to get the ball rolling than us, the three amigos, riding together to work one day."

A tentative quiet settled in the room. Clyde's little monologue seemingly replayed in all of their minds, the severity of the statement slowly starting to sink in.

"Also, Lola totally liked your cooking and is to proud to admit it."

"HEY!"

It was now Lana's turn for her face to slightly redden.

"You actually liked it."

"I- it was pretty good."

" _Just_ pretty good?"

"It was delicious, okay! There I said it. Your culinary skills are phenomenal. Blah, blah, blah. End of story."

There were rare moments when the twins openly complimented each other. Within the Loud family, it seemed once in a blue moon and for a stranger, one would have a better chance at winning the lottery than seeing them flatter each other. It was in this specific instance that Clyde realized he was witness to something few had ever saw or would ever see.

Lana faced her opposite with direct eye contact. "You know, under normal circumstances I would've walked out that door without you, Lola."

"Duly, noted. I'd have done the same."

"However, our other roommate, while annoying in his persistence, did raise a compelling argument. The three of us haven't necessarily been there for each other since we moved in. Regardless of where we come from-"

"We were born at the same time, Lana."

Lana held her tongue for a second before continuing. "We should put aside our differences and be of assistance to each other out of respect."

"I whole heartedly agree, sis."

"Well now that that's settled, Clyde you get shotgun." A sinister shadow crossed over Lana's features.

"Lola can sit in the back."

"You know I'm glad you've come to your sense after all these years- wait, WHAT?!"


	4. Chapter 4

**Author's Note:**

 **miguelangelsuarezlizarazo: While it doesn't really show it right now this story will get more...serious. The themes and language will be more appropriate for a M rating**

 **Living A Loud Life: Chapter 4**

 **Chapter 4: Street Talk**

"You expect me to sit back here in this pigsty?"

After the after the trio had a quick recess to get their things in order, Clyde with his bags and Lola with her outfit and laptop carrier, the three had ridden down the elevator to the garage for their building. When moving in the twins had lucked out. Lincoln leaving vacated a space and Clyde never actually had a car to use for the one he was provided. As such, Lola and Lana had free room to bring their own cars for usage in the city.

What was unfortunate for Lola was that her sister's car clashed completely with her own style. See, Lana was all about taking up seemingly impossible mechanical problems and proving she could fix them. One of her crowning personal achievements was the repair of an old beat up pick-up truck she discovered at the Royal Wood's junkyard. The 4-door diesel machine was without engine, wheels, and windows. With some help from the local garage she worked at, she managed to replace all of them as well as outfit the automobile with a new engine, radio, and sound system. The result was a refurbished, heavy duty vehicle that perfectly matched Lana's nature. Of course, there were a few stains left from the previous owner.

Lola recoiled in visible disgust. "I am not sitting on whatever horrible liquid seeped its way into that backseat."

"Well it's either that or you get left behind sis, so I suggest you suck it up." Lana simply replied.

"How come Clyde gets to ride up front in the first place?"

"For one, he called shotgun."

"Which are the rules of the road." Clyde added.

The two gave each other a quick fist bump.

"As for the other reason, well, I find far too much enjoyment from looking in my rear-view mirror and seeing you squirm like baby."

"Oh, I will so pay you back for this."

Lana stubbornly stood outside the car like the last leaf on an autumn tree before yielding to outside forces and climbing in. The three roommates buckled their seats in quick succession. Lana twisted the key in the ignition, checked her mirrors, and backed out the space with the grace of a swan. The though tickled Clyde when he realized that Lana was the smooth driver while Lola was the road maniac. Although, it didn't surprise him much given Lola's frenzied roving in her toy car as a kid.

The semi-truck drifted through the sea of fog layering the city streets. Wet asphalt from late night showers cut through like currents. Traffic was a soft tide that gathered into a much more aggressive wave the closer to the school they arrived. On the sidewalks among the various cafes and eateries open, one could see the different bubbles people secluded themselves in, from businessmen and stockbrokers discussing amongst themselves to lawyers, doctors, and even the occasional tourists.

In the midst of activity occurring around him Clyde peeked at Lola in the rear-view mirror. Her countenance had been set into a pitiful pout. Groaning at the absurdity of her rebelliousness, the bespectacled young man decided to put on his best dad demeanor to chide her childishness.

"Come on, Lola. Just be happy and say thanks that we're getting a ride at all. It's easy! Watch."

Clyde, to the best he could in his seat, did a mock bow and tip of the hat towards his compatriot.

"Milady, thank you."

Lana mimicked his actions in turn.

"Ah, you're quite welcome, Sir Clyde of the Biology Department."

"The honor is all mine, Sir Lana of the Engineering Trade."

"Would you mind hurrying it up a bit, dear peasants of whom I must room with?"

"Don't mind her, sir. Lady Frog Breath hasn't been the same since she went in search of a prince."

"For your information, I am not the type of woman to go and see out men. Whenever the day I have a need for companionship arises, a line of suitors will be waiting. I took a little break this weekend, is all."

"And I do not have frog breath."

"Keep telling yourself that, princess."

A lightbulb appeared in Lola's head as her features morphed into an impish mug.

"Speaking of men, how's that boytoy you've been seeing lately, Lana? What was his name? Dylan? Davis?"

The interrogated twin's expression hardened like coal. "It's Dennis, Lola and he's not a boytoy, or whatever. We dated a few weeks and broke things off."

"Yet you two work together."

The annoyed driver narrowed her eyes. "Yes."

. "Mhmm. So, you two are perfectly okay. No weird feelings or awkward encounters."

"None more weird than this conversation we're having."

"It's just that you haven't always been the most, well, active of our family."

"Lola!" A cherry color took over the natural skin tone of Lana's ears.

Clyde clapped his hands over his own. "Too much info, too much info!"

"I mean you have to face reality, miss engineer. Lori, Leni, Luna, and Lucy have had solid, long-lasting relationships for the past few years with three of them married and Lucy engaged. Lynn is an Olympic athlete, and you know what they say about them."

"I'd prefer to ignore that thought, thank you very much."

"Luan's had several star-studded relationships due to her recent celebrity status in stand-up."

"Say that five times fast." Lana tried brushing the incidents off, but Lola was a shark, determined to hold onto her prey.

"I'll admit after his last breakup, Lincoln was in a slump."

"Again, these are not thoughts I want to have." Clyde interjected

"However, with the help of his sisters and me especially, he's gotten back on his feet and dipped his toes in the fast sea of single women."

"Aaaaaand the thoughts are here to stay."

"We don't even need to touch on the numerous, extravagant courtships I've had in my life."

"Yup, I've heard plenty of those to last me a lifetime."

"Lisa is, uh, Lisa. Yet even she's had a few partners over the years. Granted, that may be the result of some logical deduction she had about sating her hormonal induced sexual urges every now and then."

Lana turned the wheel before offering a curt reply. "Wouldn't put it past her."

"Hell, even Lily's had the same high school sweetheart since her freshman year."

"In the immortal words of Lucy, "sigh". Your point being?"

"Fine, I'll just come out and say it. Out of all us siblings in the family, you're the one who's put herself out there the least."

"Lola, I'm not sure a car ride to work is the best time and place for this right now."

"Why not? You're the one who talked about the three of us bonding so why not start with a good ole fashioned examination of our dear, sir Lana's love life? With all that said and done, there's not much to critique though. I mean, Dennis is honestly the only guy I can name who you've been with since…well, ever."

Tense fingers tightened their grip around the steering wheel. "Maybe some of us have better things to do then waste every waking second of our lives attached at the hip with someone."

Sensing blood in the water, Lola decided to sink her teeth in further.

"One guy in your entire life for a few weeks though? Any young adult will tell you that is not a healthy experience."

"Have you thought I'm trying to figure things out though? Just get my life and priorities sorted and settled before I try and pursue some kind of love? Jeez, Lola, you act like you know me but being my twin doesn't mean you get how I think."

"It's not about what YOU think, it's about what I know. As the eldest of us twins, it's my duty to watch over you as any big sister would. I know for a fact, you're not happy about how things have gone, Lana. I've seen the looks given Lucy, Leni, and yes, even Lynn. I know how excited you were when Lincoln was single, not because he got out of a miserable relationship, god forbid, but because you finally had someone in the family to share in your bachelor lifestyle. I know all to well how quickly that glow left you the minute Lincoln started chatting up that girl he reconnected with. And yeah, I know the look in your eyes you've given me. Envy. Pure, intense jealousy. So yeah, Lana, I might not KNOW how you think but I sure as hell know how you feel."

"Actually, I do believe I remember one more guy you might've been with, although the details are a bit sketchy to me. I do believe his name was…Skippy, no?"

"…"

Lana said nothing. In fact, she was quiet for a while. Clyde had no idea who this Skippy guy was, but it seemed his name along struck a chord far deeper than he could have grasped. He was just about to ask about it when she finally spoke.

"We've arrived, Clyde. In record time, no less."

Snapped out of his stupor, the T.A. studied his surroundings finding that they had, indeed, made it to the south section of the campus. "Oh…thank you."

"Thank god. I was beginning to suspect I'd be stuck back here forever. Now scram, McBride and let me up front."

"Huh? Oh, sure."

"Hey Lana, I really mean it and not just or the driving. Thanks for this morning."

A faint, near invisible blush dusted the skin underneath Lana's eyes. "Hehe, no problemo."

"Yuck, enough of that sentimental crap. Now Lana dearie, I expect you to put the pedal to the metal. If I finish work early enough I can make an afternoon spa session. Yellow lights aren't stop lights and stops signs are optional."

"Hey, what gives?"

Lana leaned over the seat and rolled down the window a smidge.

"Oh no, it seems my car locks are acting up. You know what? I'll just head over to the auto-shop and see if a quick inspection can't determine the problem. Don't wait up for me though. You might want to start moving in those heels considering the many, many, many blocks from here to your job."

"You actually expect me to walk all the way there and make it?!"

"Not if you keep running your mouth. Adios."

Not waiting for a response, that truck sped off, a trail of exhaust the only footprint of it being there. Lana and Clyde were left alone, the former pissed and the latter shuffling his feet.

"Oh, you are dead meat, Lana, you hear me? DEAD MEAT!"

"So, you think she's going to pick us up here or…"

"AAAAGH!"

"…right."

"Of all the blatant buffoonery that boyish brat has pulled, this is the most blasphemous!"

" _Okay, you're being a tad dramatic there._ "

However, too bewildered by her sudden explosion, Clyde could not vocalize his own consideration. Lola instead began pacing around, throwing her arms up in exaggerated gestures as if addressing a large crowd when really, only Clyde and a few curious bystanders were present.

"I mean you'd think she'd one day just get what I'm saying! It's not like this is the first time I've used some strong words with her! You get that right? She might they're harsh but it's the exact kind of stuff she needs to hear. God, she's so stubborn when it comes to things like this. Every time I suggest some guy for her she shrugs it off or pushes me away, like I'm the one who's acting weird. It's not like she's gay either, I mean if she was, she'd have come out by now, right? Luna didn't stay in the closet after all and our whole family was accepting of who she was. Plus, even if she didn't choose to come out, she'd at least have told me if she was! Don't you think so, Clyde? Why aren't you saying anything? What are you thinking?!"

"I think…Lana needs to handle some issues by herself. I think whenever she needs help, she'll ask for it, but not before exhausting every option herself."

"Well you don't know her like me. When it comes to the real serious things, Lana is a bottle. A carbonated, pressurized container that gets shaken up and tossed around. By the time someone comes to help release some of that tension, it all just bursts everywhere."

"I don't think you're giving her enough credit."

"I think you're giving her too much."

"Well I do know one thing."

"Oh? Do enlighten me."

"At this rate, we're both gonna be late."

With that, Clyde took a mad dash toward his lecture hall like the rabbit of Wonderland late for the queen's court. Realization slowly dawning on her, Lola furiously composed herself and stomped off down the sidewalk, her tempo and temperament that of a violent, crescendoing orchestra.


	5. Chapter 5

**Author's Note:**

 **Some of this chapter feels a bit like filler but some revelations do happen as well. I hope you enjoy!**

 **Living a Loud Life**

 **Chapter 5: Daily Grind**

 _Tap, tap, tap_.

Lola's impatience was physicalized by the repeated tapping of her foot. To say she was an animated person would be an understatement. Lola had the constant need to elaborate her emotions with movements, whether they be facial expressions or gestures. A lengthy background in pageantry is what she often attributed it too. The girl who kept looked like and acted as still as one was never the top pick by the judges. No, it was the lively beauties who put on a show with every wink, wave, and curtsy that won over the panel's hearts. Funny enough, Lola saw that strategy was applicable even out in the real world. Sure, the stereotype of woman was to be seen and not heard. Lola found however, that body could convey far more direct messages that people would understand. Of course, yelling every now and then helps too.

Right now, she was steaming and in no mood for any more out of the blue delays.

" _Damn you, Lana! The nerve of her! She actively tried to screw over me, me of all people, knowing full well who I am. Ooh the gall. The audacity! I might've actually been proud of her if I wasn't so ticked off. And to think, all of this happening because she couldn't take my advice. Doesn't she know how much of a help I can be? It's not like I haven't saved her dozens of times from making a fool of herself before. Out of all the people in the world, who is there better to listen to critique from than your literal twin sister? Ugh, what an idiot…_

 _It's not like I was too hard on her anyways. I mean yeah, I didn't pull any punches but for Lana blunt is best. It's not like I'm dealing with my social contemporaries. Plus, she needed to be given a dose of reality. I mean, she's twenty-two for Pete's sake! The prime of her life! She can't afford to waste her body away slaving over machines and tools and accumulating god knows how much scar tissue in the process._

 _She's a beautiful person, if going by me as her mirror is any indication. Yes, there's the issue of her clothing, which I've been attempting to solve for decades, not to mention the lack of any proper upkeep in terms of her hair or general cleanliness. But underneath the layers, and layers of dirt and grime and shoddy, cheap, off-brand wear, there's a gorgeous person inside._

 _She doesn't see that. She NEEDS to see that. More than anyone else._

 _She needs to see that she can be better than me._

 _…Not that I'm trying to make this about myself. I mean, what's there to even critique about me? Come on now, I'm Lola Loud! The best dressed and most impressive girl around. Women envy me, men fawn over me. I'm attractive, successful, and soon to be famous. What's not to like? None of that is even covering up for the fact that-_

 _No, no, no, no, no._

 _I see what you're trying to do there, sub conscience. You won't outsmart me though._

 _I'm not even going to think about that now. Nope. It's time to move from that whole Lana situation to something else. Something like…work! That's it._

 _Stacy is out in Hollywood for an executive meeting which means no running around playing her glorified assistant. I've needed a break from her. There's only so much nagging and requests one can take from someone like her. I still have to follow up on the emails sent to Brian about installing those new water fountains. There's also Kelly and making sure she's got the most efficient route for lunch and coffee pickups down. I also need to contact Felix Agency and set up a good date for them to talk with Stacy…_

 _Ugh, I so did not step out of line, Clyde! Why did you have to give me that face? I wasn't misspoken at all. Everything I told her was one hundred percent the truth. So what if she got a little misty eyed or pissed? It would've been an even bigger mistake not acknowledge everything. Not that what I did was a mistake, mind you. I'm just telling you, well imaginary you since you're obviously not here four eyes, that I was right that she was wrong. It's just like the cake incident the other day! You know, I honestly don't know what reason you had to side with her. If anything you're being misled by her words. I mean, it's not like you have a crush or anything on-_

 _Oh_

 _OH_

 _Hold the phone. Let's examine this shall we?_

 _Clyde has been unusually kind to her, going out of his way to not upset her. Of course, that could just be him trying to be a good roommate but…no. There's no way he'd risk my ire of all people if he didn't have some ulterior motive. I mean he's a guy when all is said done. He may come off as some gentlemen, or a white knight savior but behind that armor he's most likely a horndog all the same. Hell, just look back at him as a kid when Lori was still in the house. He was practically drooling and having nosebleeds at the mere sight of her! It's doubtful he changed that much after all these years. No one changes that much…_

 _Weirdly, though he hasn't acted that way to any other girl. Heck, now that I think about it, I don't even think he's even been off balance at the mention of Lori these days. Maybe he really has grown out of it?_

 _No, no._

 _I'm not misinterpreting things. All these smiles, these courteous actions, amount to clever misdirection from the truth. It is impossible to miscalculate the answer, Clyde likes Lana._

 _Clyde likes Lana._

 _Okay, so, what I do with this?_

 _Well, is the opposite true? Does Lana like Clyde? Does he have a chance if he asks her out?_

 _Wait, why am I so concerned with this?_

 _And how do I even know if all this is right with no solid proof?_

 _Isn't it all a shot in the dark?_

 _What if I just missed something?_

 _Missed._

 _Miss._

"Miss!"

"Ah! Wha-what?"

The shout from the front seat of the car stirred Lola back into the realm of the outside world.

"We've arrived, lady. I've been yelling at you for about a minute now. Now pay up and get out. Jeez, you need to clean out your ears."

With scorn and venom in her soul, Lola threw a few bills his way.

"You need to clean out your mouth. I'd recommend a bar of soap, but I doubt any of the brands I use you could afford."

With that biting comment, the beauty queen left the cab, the irate driver giving her the finger through the side window.

The first thing one noticed when stepping into the offices of All That Entertainment was that the place was clean. Too clean, in fact. The walls were whiter than a hospital's and the smell was about the same. It was as if someone had vacuumed the rooms of every dust particle and every fragrance floating around. The A.C. was blasted on high, providing a chilly reception to any person entering the space. Lola didn't mind, she liked the cold.

The lighting was never dim, illuminating every cubicle, every corner imaginable inside the building. That's why makeup and hygiene was important here. One couldn't afford to dress down on any given day as it was easy to spot and given the nature of executives and investors frequently visiting, any out of place worker could be seen a slight on the company's image as a whole.

Lola had always been a woman of high personal maintenance. From the young of age of 2 she had paid attention to her looks, avoiding the usual childish antics of playing with one's food or rolling around in the mud and dirt.

As a kid she had opted to curate her image into that of her idols, the fairy tale princesses in her bedtime storybooks. There was always great fascination in her of the way said women and girls attracted the love and adoration of all the people of their kingdoms by the end of their stories and how more often than not, their dreams came true. Lola craved a happily ever after, more than anything in life. It was an insatiable appetite, unable to be pleased by anything less than a guaranteed lavish lifestyle before retirement. She joined the entertainment industry for that very purpose, the chance to get her wish upon a star. Celebrity status, whether it be through the cloak of a producer or the eyes of an actress, was her ticket to her golden throne.

So today, she'd be presentable. She'd spend an hour doing her hair and lathering her skin. Nights would be spent crafting the flawless outfit for the day after. Eyes would have makeup applied with years of practice. Foundation would be laid, powder would be puffed, bronzer and blush would be added, and lips would be done with care. Even her nails would be done worked on by herself because she knew that someday she'd have someone else working on them for her.

 _Tap, Tap, Tap_

Heeled feet carried the aspiring Loud across grey carpeted floors. A left was made and after a few feet, Lola came face to face with a door located near the end of the hall. Unlocking said door, she found herself in her office, or well, what she considered her office. In actuality, she was sharing the space with another production secretary, albeit one who was on their way out due to a pregnancy with her newly married husband. Lola liked, the woman, Macy, but she would be lying if she wasn't excited to finally get the room to herself. It was a touch aggravating to have their boss's office located right next door, a room that put Lola's apartment to shame.

To put it bluntly, Lola wasn't a big fan of her boss, Stacy Springfield. In many ways, she was the ideal Hollywood success story: child star, thrust into the spotlight with an award winning tv series. She went on to a massive music career before returning to the acting world with a best supporting actress win at the Oscars. She finally transitioned into the business side of entertainment by helping kickstart her own company which she now played a large hand in running. You see, it would be one thing if Stacy was simply supplying the investment money for operations in the biz to continue. However, she had demanded a much more, personal role, since day one. Call it a calling or a consequence of her overworked youth but Ms. Springfield put the Devil Wears Prada to shame went it came to bossing people around. Meticulous and a bit of a megalomaniac, Stacy required nearly every single detail of her and her workers days planned out and executed to the tee, no ifs, ands or buts. Everything from breaks to commutes was essentially monitored by either her or her direct "assistants", ergo people like Lola and Macy. It was rumored, but never confirmed, that this control freak like attitude is why Ms. Springfield was a divorcee of six men now. Her lifestyle and business practices, it seemed, could not be handled by many.

This is why Lola applied for the job though. Stacy had everything Lola wanted but a prince in her life, with the exception of her fourth marriage. She was both an obstacle and a goal in her life. To not only survive working under the notorious Stacy Springfield but to flourish and come out with her own achievements was a legendary story waiting to be told.

Oh, she could see it now, the books written of her trials and victories, the dozens of talk show and radio interviews about all that she overcame, and the red carpets lining down streets, fenced in by paparazzi from all sides. A limo would appear, pink with white trim, and the door would be opened by a handsome and contractually bound driver. All the photographers and interviews would shout and scream, "Hey, that's Lola Loud, the most famous woman to have ever been or ever be. She'd soak it all up and breathe, knowing that finally she made it.

She'd do all those things, but not today. Today she was Lola Loud, production secretary.

She sat down at her chair and began her work.


	6. Chapter 6

**Author's Note:**

 **Enjoy this slightly longer chapter. I'm trying to push the plot along a bit more and get more characters involved. Expect more characters to be introduced later as well.**

 **Living a Loud Life: Chapter 6**

 **Chapter 6: Work Blues**

Work was murder. At least, that's how it felt working at a school.

You'd think after spending the majority of your life shuffling from class after class, grade after grade, one would have a grasp on how stressful it is in a school environment. Yet there is nothing to prepare any person in actually running said classroom.

For the first 30 minutes of Clyde's chemistry class the professor didn't show. An already anxious and restless class started squirming in their seats talking loudly amongst themselves about their critiques of the class. Seeing this could end badly, Clyde and the three other TA's seized hold and ended up having to half-ass a Q&A session to appease them. What started as what is akin to barely functioning town hall devolved in a full blown angry mob with multiple students angrily remarking on the difficulty of the past exam.

Clyde held sympathy for them. Sit in a lecture with this professor for an hour and any person would know that his course is bullshit. He barely covers the material stated in the syllabus, instead going off on tangents of hypothetical chemical scenarios the like of which no average undergraduate student would possibly come across unless they were involved in the most intensive of research studies imaginable. Instead of what the teacher went over, the exam focused on the subject matter in the book one could easily overlook and have difficulty grasping. The lack of any real "teaching" being done about it only added to the frustration of the class. Honestly, who could blame them? Clyde had experienced plenty of bullshit professors in the time he was pursuing his bachelor's. Most of them pushed students into buying useless texts on the promise that "everything you need to know" would be in them. Yet come test time, all that was needed was the power point presentations shown in the class that could easily be downloaded online later, class attendance be damned.

Of course after being chewed out by the students like a bag of treats in a dog kennel, Professor Clifford finally arrived, to the relief of the TA's and the dismay of the lazier students ready to leave. The professor delegated the assistants to hand back out the exams, with low grades to the surprise of no one. Clifford, using the demeanor of a debt-ridden car salesman, pitched to the students the idea of clearer communication in class that would benefit everyone. Of course, everyone knew this would amount to nothing but seemingly bought into it for the sake of getting the class going. By the time, Clifford was done with his spiel, the majority of the period was over and used the five minutes remaining o slightly cover the intro of the next section. A true tenured teacher he was.

At the end of the student's dismissal, Clifford gathered all the TA's to give them what he deemed an appropriate dressing down.

To describe Clifford, was a challenge all on its own. He was decidedly plump, with a beer belly that suggested multiple weeknights of bar crawling. Strangely though, he was considerably muscular in his limbs, his thighs and biceps reminding Clyde of those images of kangaroos flexing, an off-putting sight. He groomed a ginger beard that would make Santa blush of embarrassment and had a balding, grey combover on top of his scalp. Liver spots decorated his cheekbones, hands, and forearms, and crow feet were perched near his eyes.

His flabby chest was clad in a red and brown plaid suit jacket worn over a white button-down shirt, complete with a bowtie around the collar. Ill-fitted khaki pants rand down his legs and a gaudy silver belt buckle emblemed with a steer stuck out from his waistline, a nod, as he called it, to his days of working on a farm. Leather loathers clad his feet and a far too expensive Rolex adorned his wrist. In Clifford's effort to show off his fashion, he ended up becoming a preschooler's art collage.

The talk they had went as expected. He blamed everyone that wasn't him, which was the right thing to do in his eyes. He saw fit to criticize each TA for allowing any sort of QA to happen revolving around the class, saying it could jeopardize his reputation (though Clyde was sure that was already in shambles given his ratings online). For all the scolding the four TA's had received prior, this was probably the most irritating of them all.

"Now Clyde my boy, it seems from what was said that you were the ringleader of this whole operation."

"Uh…I mean."

The four-eyed young man darted his eyes around for help, yet his peers apparently found the ceiling and floor extremely fascinating at this exact time.

" _Great teamwork, guys."_

"I mean, I was simply trying to keep the class under control. Mr. Clifford if you had been there."

"It's professor, young man. Professor. Besides it's not your job to control the class, it's mine. I can't keep having you monkeying around, making a jungle of my class."

There it was. Another one of Clifford's not so subtle bigoted remarks. It had become an all too common occurrence to be a coincidence at this point. The first time or so Clyde had considered reporting him to the school's disciplinary council, but Terry, one of the other TA's, had stopped him. She claimed the school invested far too much into Clifford as a public figure, and he back, for them to take action against him. Terry stressed that the end result of reporting would only lead the school to put pressure down on Clyde himself. He backed off then.

"Now this Friday evening I have a dinner with some of my fellow Alpha Chi Sigma brothers. It'll be hosted at the student center here and feature the finest of sampler foods and drinks imaginable. However, I will be there not just to gorge myself but to ask of my friends for healthy donations towards our chemistry department. It is because of that, Clyde, that I require your attendance."

"Wait, what?"

"I need a student to help show off how our department shapes the bright faces of tomorrow in it and how they contribute to the future of chemistry research."

"Not to rain on your parade sir but I'm not an undergrad student here and I'm not researching chemistry, it's on microbiology."

"None of the students in my classes quite measure up to my grading standards and the majority would never willingly follow along."

" _It's a mystery as to why."_

"Desperate times call for desperate measures. I'm not expecting you to tell things exactly as they are. You can just, fluff it up a bit and leave a few minor details out. Besides, I already have some research of my own that I'm introducing you as one of my assistants."

"Excuse me?"

"Relax, I've sent you all the info you need to study up on. Think of it like an exam, or better yet, an evaluation for your work in this semester so far. All you have to do is follow along in your part, and you'll be good to go."

"And…if things go wrong?"

"Well, let's just say your position isn't exactly stable."

 _"Oh boy."_

After letting that worm of a teacher get under his skin, Clyde was itching for the day to be over. Hopping onto the campus bus, he hitched a ride over to the north eastern part of the college and entered his research building. Entering his scientific domicile, he figured check on a few samples set up last week, jot down some numbers, and be on his merry way. Yet as fate would have it, a group of his samples had been contaminated from room temperature exposure.

" _Could this day get any worse?_ "

* * *

" _I could not be having a worse day."_

It's true, Lana's day had stated off shitty and somehow got progressively more horrible. It was kicked off by her not-so-sweet sister invading her personal space and going on picking at her love life like some demented Aphrodite. Having your twin poke and prod at your sexual and romantic history like a kid at a museum was bad enough but it was made all the worse by having Clyde of all people along for the tour. Humiliating didn't even begin to cover how she felt about that.

Though Lana would never admit it out Loud, she was starting to see Clyde as a fill in for Lincoln in her life. He had always kind of been a part of the family in a weird, cousin sort of way, but the several times he had been looking out for her over the last few weeks had reminded him of what Lincoln used to do. Granted, no one could replace Lincoln. He would always still be the geeky older brother to her. Still, Clyde was beginning to find a place in her home life that was strangely nostalgic.

One part of said nostalgia was the sense of not wanting to be embarrassed by Lola in front of him. It was like her friends being exposed to her wacky dad's antics, dialed up to eleven. Sure, she never advertised her air of coolness like other people, but she liked to think she maintained at least some semblance of it to Clyde. This though? It more than likely shattered that image in his head.

It sucked because the last couple of friend relationships she had with boys all ended up as disasters. Lola and her high school clique had all but turned her off from getting girl friends in any capacity. There were a few from work, who held the same passion for ironworks and project building as she did, but outside of that nothing ever really clicked.

So she hung out with guys a lot. Who cares? They shared her sense of humor and could handle her personality well. She wasn't even that social though. They'd go out downtown every once in a while, gulping down booze like it was her last breath of air. They may head over to one of their apartments, playing video games and fumbling around with drones and other electronics. Hell, somedays they just went to the park and relaxed outside, taking in nature's embrace. Of course, none of them happened to like going there when it was raining like she did, but hey, she took what she could get.

It was a small group, her social circle. Four other guys, two from work, one's roommate, and another dude they met on the street after puking from the longest game of Kings imaginable. Otis, Todd, Jug, and Fred were their names. The oldest, Jug was seven years her senior while Otis the youngest, was just a year below Lana's age. People thought it odd, seeing a group like them together, but she couldn't care less.

 _"Whatever, keeps me happy."_

And she was happy. Well, mostly.

Okay, maybe things were getting a bit stale. Going from pub to park to apartment back and forth again could get a bit old. She had, in some ways, dug herself into a rut. But really, who didn't every now and then? Everyone needs a routine for some part of their life. So what if hers encapsulated a bit more than others?

Eugh, who was she kidding? She may as well have been in a syndicated sitcom at this point.

The issues of her personal life would have to be put on hold, however. Right now she was on the job. See, Lana worked as both a carpenter and auto-repairwoman. She alternated days of work between the two as the former didn't see much business and the latter was already fully staffed as is, letting Lana join purely on her exceptional skill. However, today's client was a bit more demanding than usual.

The snobbish stuck-up, a Mr. Bloomington, had requested a full service and paint-job of his historic sports car. He planned on showing it off , like a kid with an A+ to his family, at an exclusive auto show hosted as one of his corporate friends' mansions.

What Mr. Bloomington failed to disclose however, was that his precious baby happened to be of a line of cars so top class that it required a highly expensive and rare type of paint. Of course, he said this after they had already coated it with another brand.

"How could you DO this to MY trophy?!"

" _Gee, I don't know? Maybe it was from a lack of communication on your part?"_

Lana held her tongue from lashing back and instead let her boss do the talking.

"We're very sorry, sir. It was misunderstanding on our part. Rest assured the rest of your car is being handled with the utmost quality care. All the parts are accounted for in perfect condition, the interiors have been perfectly-"

"I don't care about the other parts! The paint is the pièce de résistance of the whole car. Without it, the entire thing is ruined! How can I expect to trust my money with the people who clearly screwed up this one crucial detail with fixing it?"  
"How about you start by taking that money and shoving it-"

"Sir, with all due respect, there is no better shop in this area, hell the whole city, when it comes to handling this type of job. Sure you can take it to any fancy, schmancy service station but none will get the right sheen, the right finish on the car the way we do. That's what comes with decades of family experience. Besides, we're not even in this for the money. It's our reputation that we work for: the most trusted car shop in town."

"I'm still not entirely convinced."

"Tell you what, due to this unfortunate mix-up on our part, why don't we throw in a discount on the entire thing, the paint job of course being free as well."

"Hmm, well I have been convinced. There is just one more thing though."

"Anything, sir."

"I still haven't heard an apology from this one."

If Lana could grind her teeth more, they'd be sharpened into knives perfect for murdering Mr. Bloomington. Against her wishes however, she stopped her angry tick to deliver the most physically agonizing apology ever.

"I…am very..sorry…for my…mistake, sir."

"Hmph, apology accepted, sweetie. You can learn a thing or two from your boss when it comes to presentation though."

" _Oh I can think of two things you can learn about: leftie and righty here."_

"Well have everything ready by this Saturday, Mr. Bloomington."

"I expect so, Ms. Duffy. Otherwise, that so-called rep of yours will be where it belongs, in the trash."

With that, Bloomington took his pompous self and promptly exited the garage.

"We should dump him and his car in the trash to be honest."

"Honestly, I'd be with you on that, but we have a verbal agreement."

It wouldn't be hard to mistake Ms. Marsha Duffy for a real Amazon. She was a tanned, red-headed giant, six feet and six inches tall, and ripped beyond belief. Her calves could withstand bullets and her thighs could crush boulders. Her arms seemed pulled straight from one of Lincoln's Ace Savvy comics, with biceps and triceps big enough to bend steel on their own. That's not even mentioning her abs, which, whew, seemed sculpted from pure marble. She tended to wear baggy clothing and coveralls most days. Once in a while, when wearing more casual wear, she could be caught wiping her brown with the bottom of her shirt. Every time, any person would be hypnotized by the sight of them and only broken from the spell when they were once again hidden from sight.

"Come on, boss! You're gonna tell me this asshole deserves the nice treatment? He was the one who deliberately left out that the metallic red that, need I remind you, is advertised on our website, flyers, and windows, was not the type needed but rather required a super special brand. For all we know, he could be deliberately scamming us out of paying full charge for the job!"

"And for all we know, we all could have made an honest mistake. Besides, the onus is ours given we didn't check the details of his vehicle beyond the basics."

"But boss-"

The tall woman gave a slight grimace. "Save it, Loud. A job is job, no matter how annoying it can be."

"Yes, ma'am."

"Ugh, don't call me ma'am. It's as bad as for me as that jerk calling you sweetie is for you."

Lana couldn't help the grin that tugged at her lips. "At least someone around her noticed my discomfort."

"Ah are you upset at the guys or one guy in particular."

"Otis has…been a bit clingy."

"I'd call that an understatement. He's practically on your hip at all times."

"Yeah which would be cool if we fine if we were actually still dating. Yet here we are, him giving passing glances and the ever-occasional too personal comment."

"Well you are a hard catch to let go if I do say so myself."

A visible shiver ran down Lana's spine. "Okay, that's way too creepy, boss."

"Ha! I'm happily taken, Loud. You don't have to worry about anything coming from me. That being said, do you need me to talk to Otis, boss to employee?"

"Thanks, but no thanks. Otis isn't a bad guy, he's just hung up. It'll blow over."

"Two weeks is plenty of time for things to blow over."

"Maybe. Maybe he needs more time though."

"My advice, Loud. Be direct and firm. It's better to confront these things fast before the get too serious and blow up."

"…Yeah."

Ms. Duffy patted Lana's back with her bear like hands, almost knocking the poor woman down.

"All things considered though, one stress inducing man is enough for an entire afternoon. I'll get Logan to handle your inspection shift alongside Otis today. You can do me a favor and head out early to get that special paint for tomorrow. It'll take the rest of the day to get rid of the coat we laid on anyways."

No way. Could she be hearing her right? Lana looked up at her boss to find no form of lie or trickery on her face, just genuine care.

"Really? Thank you so much, boss! I'll be sure to have it in time!"

"I have your word!"

So not everything was a bust. As much as Lana did love her job, who was she to turn down an early release? She got in her truck and left with the speed of lightning, leaving her professional stress behind in the dust clouds.


	7. Chapter 7

**Author's Note:**

 **I hope you're all having a relaxing holiday season. Please enjoy this next chapter.**

 **Living a Loud Life**

 **Chapter 7: Business or Pleasure**

" _God, I want to go back to bed._ "

After fixing the mess at the lab, Clyde was more than ready to hit the hay. The fact that the stress of school still burdened him well into his twenties was worrisome to him. He couldn't begin to imagine how people in their thirties did grad school, or even more, how senior citizens went back to finish their degree. What kind of person would willingly take upon the anxiety of school on top of the aches and pains of their old age?

" _Someone seeking a swift death, that's for sure."_

The internal questioning occupied Clyde long enough for him to arrive back at where he was dropped off this morning. He had texted Lana just minutes after finishing his work and she'd replied almost instantly with an "omw".

Figuring she was caught up in traffic and he had a few minutes, Clyde unlocked his phone and began thumbing through his email. There was the study material Professor Clifford sent that he was NOT looking at anytime soon, a few general news updates from the bio and chem departments, a newsletter about the new exhibits at the science museum (he was definitely gonna check out the traveling prehistoric exhibit) and some spam in general. He switched over to his messages and lazily scrolled through the last dozen or so he'd received.

His dads group messaged him a pic of them lounging on pool chairs, a vista of a crystal, clear beach behind them. The two were on a two-week cruise through the Caribbean and if Clyde remembered correctly, their stop in this picture had been the Bahamas. A simple smile emoji was his response.

Scrolling further he saw Lincoln suggesting a meetup later this week. He wasn't sure when he could thumb him in his schedule this week, so he'd have to respond later.

Haiku and Penelope both asked what he was doing for Halloween this year. The former, a connoisseur of the dark holiday, simply wanted to bring more people into her planned haunted house event at the local festival. The latter had several party invites all across town and was in need of a plus one. Both interested Clyde, but the latter put him off to a degree especially considering the history he shared with the bespectacled woman. He thought of composing his thoughts to send, but decided to put it off for a later date.

A couple of undergrad college friends were in town attending a symposium downtown. They had asked if he wanted to get drinks tonight. While several of his buddies had spread throughout the country in their search for employment and greater education, there was still an effort put in by some of them to hang out after graduation. Quite a few actually lived in the same city as Clyde, as well as some of his hometown friends, but some of the closer ones were far less near. Unfortunately, sudden arrangements like this unnerved Clyde. He hated unexpected plans, such as Mr. Clifford's surprise news drop today. They caught him off guard and often messed with his sense and need of order. Sure, he wasn't quite as neurotic as he was a kid, but he still needed some semblance of schedule. Give a guy a warning, why don't ya?

While in the midst of these thoughts, a blaring honk of a car horn slammed straight into Clyde's ear drum. Startled, the curly haired man focused on the origin of the sound, finding it to be none other than Lana's custom death trap.

"Howdy ho, daddy-o. Care to halt your gander and mount my steed?"

"Your what now?"

"Darn, I forgot how out of touch ya'll city folk be. I reckon you may be misconceiving the vocabulary and I do be stringing along on my lovely mount here."

The car in park, Lana proceeded to hack a loogie the size of a golf ball out the passenger window.

"…I don't even feel like asking anymore."

"I'm telling ya to hop on in, partner!"

Resigning to accept whatever game Lana was playing, Clyde climbed into the front passenger seat.

"So…what brings you to these here parts?"

"School?"

"Ah, the ole' education system. As big and bad as fresh cow pie."

"I'm just going to pretend this is all normal. On that note though, how did get here right when I arrived? I thought I was supposed to call to tell you when I was ready?"

"Well, to make a long story short, I got to go home early due to an incident earlier."

"Incident? Wait a minute…were you FIRED?!"

"Jeez, have a little faith in me, man. No, I wasn't let go, I just encountered a particularly nasty customer. My boss let me take the rest of the day off provided I swing by a store to pick up some parts for tomorrow. I figured, I come here early and maybe persuade you to join me."

"You want me to go shopping with you? You must be turning into Leni."

"Oh I've got about a million makeovers before that happens. I uh, just wanted someone I could have around while I went out. Didn't want to be stuck with my thoughts and all."

"Not to sound rude, Lana, but I feel like you're not telling me the full story."

"Come on, enough doom and gloom! Are you in or are you out? Last chance, once in a lifetime, million-dollar offer!"

"Okay, okay, I'm in. I'm in!"

Lana let out a short laugh that had Clyde smiling out of his fake grievance. Clyde opened the door and waited for the driver to scoot over, two summer swept, braided pigtails swinging with her movements.

"Honestly, after the day I've had, our apartment is the last place should be. I'd just crash and wallow in my own misery for hours."

"Why's that? Don't tell me you had a rough day, too"

"Rough doesn't quite cut it. Grueling, maybe?"

"Yeesh, how so?"

"Oh you know the usual: unruly class, horrid professor, messed up lab. The whole shebang."

"Pft, sounds like every other weekday to me."

"What kind of weeks do you live?"

Wagging her finger to draw Clyde forward, the young woman leaned towards him, a glint in her eye.

"The _dangerous_ kind, feller."

Now Clyde couldn't keep a straight face on, an achievement Lana took with pride. She wasn't dumb. She saw the weariness of Clyde's face the second she pulled up. If anything, it was nice that they both shared some stress from today. It gave hem someone to empathize with and even lean on.

"You know what," Clyde started while pull I do gotta ask now. What's with the cowboy accent?"

"I reckon all yellowbellied people have their own retreats when things start to get rough. Mine just happens to be linguistic."

"So this is your way of coping?"

"It ain't my way of partying, pal."

Clyde snorted. "No, it is not. You've always been the binge drinking type."

"Booze is the reward for all of life's efforts. What better to end a hard day of work than a hard drink?"

"A book? A newly issued comic? Watching one of those competitive cooking shows?"

"Clyde, oh Clyde, buddy of mine, you need to get out more."

The glasses clad passenger gave a dark chuckle. "And go where? It's not like I can't have a good time if I want to. I go out with Lincoln for drinks from time to time. I meet up with old friends from time to time. Heck, I've got a few people wanting to hang out with me this week!"

"But you're not gonna go, are you?"

"Huh?"

"I said, you won't hang with them."

"Wha-why's that?"

Lana huffed before twisting her body to face Clyde. "I hate talking like Lola, but you need to hear it one way or another. You live entirely within your bubble."

"My bubble?"

"Yeah, your bubble, comfort zone, whatever you wanna call it. Clyde my man, the only way you'll learn to enjoy life for what it's really worth is by stepping out of those walls you've erected and trying something new."

"You're right, you do sound like Lola."

"For real, Clyde! Look, even I have gotten into a rut recently. I've rolled with the same group of friends for a few months now, and well, it hasn't necessarily worked out that good for me. I mean yeah, it's nice to have something reliable to go to but eventually, what was an enjoyable routine slowly becomes more mundane."

"I get what you're saying. I really do, but how can you get out of that cycle willingly? I mean, isn't it scary?"

"Scary?"

The McBride boy hunched over and began rubbing the back of his head as if a djinn was sure to come out. As he began to speak a tone of resignation was paired with every sentence, as if he convinced no matter what that they were the truth and the truth alone. It was very much a like a soldier's last statement before they headed to their final battle, haunting and from a place much deeper than the heart. Strangely, both unnerved Lana.

"Any sort of abandonment of the familiar into the unknown is practically a leap of faith. I mean, correct if I'm wrong, you're talking about me socializing more. That's later nights, longer conversations beyond small talk, more people. It's all doable but, isn't there a danger there too? I mean I've been in larger friend groups and even stayed in contact with more people than I imagined I would. Still, I've never really sought any out on my own. What if it turns out I can't do those things well enough? What if I go to parties and events and it ends up with me all alone anyways, despite my best efforts? That's the sad reality. It's not even that unique of a problem. You always hear about how adults lose friends with time after all. Maybe I'm just boarding the train at the right time."

"There is no…right time to be alone. Trust me, I know. It might not seem so, me having a twin and all, but I do.

"Hey Lana, I wasn't assuming-"

"I know, I know. I'm not upset or anything. I just- ugh, it's so hard to put into words."

"I want to look out for you, bud. You and Lincoln, you were two guys I could relate to. Yeah in a house with nine other sisters I didn't exactly find many people like me. Sure, there was Lynn and Luna but they both hung around lots of girls. I had my animal friends and Lola, when she found it worth her time. You and Lincoln though, even if I didn't hang with you guys, I could relate to you. Maybe not in a huge way, but big enough to me. You guys got me through some really, rough days."

Lana clamped her right hand onto Clyde's left shoulder. The contact made Clyde refocus his gaze and really look at the person before him. He saw the stains, the sweat, the stress all visible on her body. More than that though, he saw the sincerity in her eyes that no artistic rendition, be it a painting or sculpture, could evert convey properly. Whatever breath the young man was going to take was stolen by that sight, rendering him mute. Luckily, Lana wasn't waiting for a response.

"I don't want you to feel like you're ever going into these situations alone. It's okay to be scared. It's okay to panic. But know you'll always have someone watching your back."

For a brief moment, the world went still. Two conclusions were reached by Clyde the second Lana's words were recognized by his brain. Neither of those he could properly attend to at the moment though, for in front of him she waited for any sort of positive response.

"Wow, I uh, don't know what to say."

Apparently, that was good enough for her though as she returned her visage into a much happier, the intimacy of their convo fading as the world span again.

"Say you like heavy lifting?"

"Heavy lifting? Me?"

The cheekiest grin ever spread across Lana's face.

"Are ya volunteering? Thank you so much, partner. I needed someone to carry all of them tools for me."

Shifting the car into drive, the duo drove off for their supply run.


	8. Chapter 8

**Author's Note:**

 **Happy New Year! I hope you all have started it off strong and happy! I was hoping to make this chapter long but things didn't quite turn out that way. Either way, I hope you enjoy!**

 **Living a Loud Life**

 **Chapter 8: A Light Bulb Moment**

Three consecutive red lights, two bumper to bumper traffic jams, and one old lady driving 10 miles under the speed limit on a single lane were the greatest obstacles faced on the road by Lana and Clyde. For Clyde, it was a little time for him to unwind after hours of miserable tasks. Lana, however, was antsier than ever.

The second the truck was parked and turned off, Lana broke out like a diver surfacing for oxygen. Taking one big gulp of air, she began to stretch her muscles to shake the aches from their stiff confinement. Call it what you may, she never saw herself as they type to stay still for long. Lana always liked having her hands busy with something at all times, whether it be with her pets or her tools. It kept her engaged physically and out of her headspace. A steering wheel was fine, when she wasn't stuck moving five feet every twenty minutes. She couldn't just let her brain go on autopilot in situations like that. No, without the option to zone out she had to actually stew over some stuff.

Namely that something happened between her and Clyde.

She wasn't oblivious. Lana had enough siblings to see the tell-tale signs of the beginnings of a love story. This though…it was different. It's not like she didn't have crushes before, or love at first sight moments. She could think of several moments where someone with the right kind of hair and chiseled chin just swept her off feet. But no matter how many physical attractions she had one thing remained: nothing emotionally clicked.

"So, this is the place?"

"Huh?"

Clyde walked around the front of the car, thumb pointing in the direction of the glass push doors in front of them.

"You know, for the car stuff or whatever."

"Oh, yeah. Sorry, was in la la land for a sec."

"Well better out here than in your truck."

"What, never thought of a career as a crash dummy?"

He gave her a half pout that nearly cracked her up. That was thing with him. Clyde unintentionally got to her in ways she never expected. These were reactions she expected around her siblings, not Clyde of all people. She'd known him all her life but was only just beginning to connect with him. It didn't come as a shock then that she was a bit skeptical of this was really a crush. She'd never had a friendship like this before after all. Something so comfortable and familiar without overreaching any boundaries unless she desired it. It felt so right as it was, she honestly was afraid any miscalculation of said relationship could backfire and damage it in the long run. She had to watch this play out and see if she was missing anything.

"Considering I occasionally had a part-time job as a punching bag in middle and high school, I'd say no."

"Ah, I forgot about that. Hank and Hawk wasn't it? Those assholes routinely ranked top on the most punchable face lists in Royal Woods."

"Too bad it wasn't them was getting all the punches. I swear my nipples are still sore from the purple nurples I got."

"Pft, if I remember clearly, it was only 2 years ago that Lincoln got all the water out from his ears from the massive swirlies those two jerks gave him. Man, you guys had it bad."

"It could be worse. We could be them now."

"What do you mean?"

"Oh I don't know: two repeat offenders, expelled before their senior year and unable to get their G.E.D. What possibly shiny future could they have found using their limitless intelligence?"

The crunch of shoe bottom on concrete ended as the pair walked through the entrance of the shop and were greeted with the cruelest coincidence imaginable.

In front of them, leaning on a counter posing as if he would rather be anywhere else, was an imposing and threatening blast from the past. Maybe it was the light playing tricks on her, but the guy's fat head seemed even larger than before. He still had the same god-awful mullet and spiked hair combo she remembered. He had a put on a few pounds in the gut but otherwise still maintained an intimidating musculature with gorilla-like arms. His attire consisted of a dark green polo shirt with a name tag reading, "Hi, My Name is Hawk."

"What are the odds of this?"

"Real shitty, that's what."

"Hello, and welcome to- oh give me a fucking break!"

"Yeah it's nice to see you too, Hawk."

"Come the fuck on! I move all the way out here, I'm talking miles and miles from that shit town, and I ended up having one of the Loud girls and that brat who hung with them as freaking customers? This is bull."

"No, it's real life buster so save the self-pity and help us out. My company ordered some paint and an exhaust pipe from here. It should be under B, for Bloomington Garage."

"Sure it's not B for bitch?"

Lana crossed her arms and gave a deep frown. "Can it, bird brain."

Hawk snorted and gave a sneer. "Yeah, yeah, your as fun as ever, Loud. A bit weird seeing you without that other sister of your though, what's her name? Leia? Lizzy? Lana?"

"I'm Lana, dumbass. You're thinking of Lola. We're not bound together like Siamese twins."

"Oh yeah, I should've remembered. She's the one that actually got hot. Still, if you're anything to go by, I bet she still has the bitchy personality."

Before she could respond, Clyde stepped in front of her, attempting to give the bullying employee a stare down of his own. "That's uncalled for, man."

"And what are you gonna do about it, dork? From the looks of it, all those school books you used carried didn't add an inch of muscle to your scrawny ass."

"Yeah go ahead and do that, idiot."

"Lana, why are you egging him on?!"

"Don't tell me you have actual faith in this, pathetic loser?"

"His name's Clyde, and no, I don't. What I do have faith in is this trusty camera on my phone here which can record all the damage you do to my pal here in 4k, nonetheless. Now imagine me sharing this on social media, my famous sisters of course, getting their own followers and friends to spread all across the web. Forget having scrubbing floors here, by the time it's done, there won't be a job anywhere that with an Internet connection for a failure like you. Get the picture, slimeball?"

"Tch, whatever. I'm not desperate enough to do this anyway. You wanted your order, right? I'll bring it our from the back. You two sissies can wait out here."

With that, the big man turned around lurked through the storage door. Lana flipped the bird behind his back before blowing a stray hair out of her face. Clyde, feeling a bit sheepish, felt inclined to say something.

"Thanks for the save."

"Yeah, I guess we're just trading saves these days." Eyes wondering around the store, Lana's gaze finally fell upon an aisle display of batteries. She walked over to them, idly touching and examining some of them.

"I could have gone my whole life never seeing one of those freaks again and I would have been happy."

Clyde scratched his chin. "That makes two of us."

Unknown to Lana, Clyde was a lot more distressed than he was letting on. The whole Hawk encounter only exacerbated a gnawing feeling at his gut, that he wasn't man enough for a lot of situations. Often, the McBride found himself in over his head when confronted with the threat of a physical showdown. No, he didn't count the time he wrestled an eight year old to the ground over the last copy of a video game a win. The times he put on a brave face were so obviously a front that the second someone called his bluff, he almost immediately broke. The fact that the little sister of his best friend ended up being the one to get Hawk to back up didn't help his ego one bit. Nor did it do anything to halt what was arguably the chief of his problems. He was crushing hard on Lana.

Okay, so he kinda saw this coming. Let's face it, there had been one too many tender moments over the last couple of days for his heart to not feel something. He couldn't help it! To be fair though, this wasn't the first or even second crush he'd had on one of the Loud girls. When you're a straight guy who hangs out at your best friend's house and the majority of the time you're surrounded by women, chances are you'll eventually take notice of someone. First among them was Lori, of course. Beautiful, mature, Lori Loud had been the apple of his eye for years until he finally took the hint to get over it when Bobby proposed while she was in college. Of course, that wouldn't be the end of his hormonal torture, as fate would have it. There was the brief enticement he had of Leni, probably due to the vague resemblance to her older sister. After that was a summer of longing for Luan when he got up close and personal with her in a game of chicken at the city pool. Then of course, was that yearlong infatuation with Lynn, after the two them surprisingly ended up in an ecology class in high school together. Some of these feelings temporarily flared up every now and then as the years rolled by but fleeting is all they were. The second they were whisked away by distractions and whatnot he immediately fell back into the rhythm and relationship he was most familiar with them, extended family.

Cupid's arrow, however, seemed to have once again found its way onto Clyde's back, and there was no use in ignoring how his attraction to Lana. It wasn't serious, from what he could tell. Close proximity between him and the aforementioned Loud were bound to bring about something of this nature. He couldn't say he didn't get along with her, quite the opposite actually, as they both seemed quite content in each other's company. Still, he wasn't entirely certain this meant anything worthwhile. After all, their interests didn't necessarily align. Lana was much more of a free spirit, wanting to be a part of the action and go wherever her soul sought. Clyde, meanwhile, was hesitant to change. Despite the possible excitement of world changing discoveries, he reveled in the controlled and calculated environment of laboratories and his room, by extension. He wasn't one to go exploring a city at night with nothing but the wind on his shoulders. Sure, he and Lana got along as friends, but their personalities wouldn't exactly gel that well together.

Still, he was somehow mesmerized by her, whether by her behavior or looks, he wasn't quite sure. She wasn't a polished pearl like Lola when it came to upkeep. There were wrinkles, tears, and holes littering her shirts and pants, and none of them intentional from a designer. A cloud of dust was sure to follow in her wake and a trail of muddy footprints often led to her. Her hands were rough and tough, as if she ended deals involving bears with handshakes. The occasional blister burns from welding or heated materials traced all the way up her arms if you caught her in a tank top. Her hair had tangles, and knots, with god knows what in it at times. Despite all that though, there was beauty he could see. Her face was perfect, a scar-less porcelain that, when stained with sweat or the occasional smudge of oil, added character to her. Her body was somewhat bulky, but not extremely cut like a bodybuilder. Her shoulders in particular were built in a way that seemed they could handle Atlas' burden if need be. And there was something about the maculate nature of her clothing that was alluring. Perhaps it was the fact that she wasn't dressing to impress anyone, but rather every part of her appearance was exactly what she was comfortable with.

Lana was a hot mess. A really _hot_ mess.

Clyde pulled on his neck collar as he realized his thoughts were beginning to go to other places. Perspiration began to build in the pits under his arms and on the skin of his face. He pulled off his glasses and wiped his forehead, fanning himself a bit which drew the attention of Lana.

"Something the matter?"

"Nah it's just…I was thinking of that advice you gave me earlier."

"What about it?"

"The whole stuff about taking risks and doing stuff I don't normally do."

Lana stopped fidgeting with the battery display and frowned at Clyde. "If this is leading to some weird realization from our recent reunion with Hawk of all people I'm not sure I quite follow."

"All I'm saying is, perhaps I should take that advice sooner rather than later. This Saturday, how about we do…something."

"Something?"

"Something…with friends?"

"…Friends?"

"Or just us? I don't really know I mean I don't really know what to do. Most of the time Lincoln picks out some places we can go whenever I do go out. Not to mention, I've been rather busy lately so I haven't had the time to, what with my research and all. Plus there's the matter of weather-"

"Clyde, Clyde, buddy. Tell you what. There's a fancy smancy car show going on this Saturday and I heard there's a race with a cash prize. How about you and me go? Just the two of us."

A nervous smile appeared on the young man's face. "O..kay?"

"Okay?"

"Okay! Great!"

"Great."

Outside Lana was as cool as a cucumber. Inside she was screaming like a kid about to go to a theme park. Clyde was basically that kid on the outside and inside.


	9. Chapter 9

**Living a Loud Life**

 **Chapter 9: Three's Company**

The process of getting customer orders out of storage took longer than Lana was expecting. In the interim, she had been grazing some of the aisles of the store, eyeing all sorts hardware goodies. Her Christmas list was already halfway written by the time a disgruntled Hawk came out from the back, a can of paint in each hand.

"Well here's your shit, Loud. Not many people use this brand. It took forever to find."

Lana gave him an equally distasteful look. "It's a shame you didn't' get lost too."

"Thanks, Hawk. We'll take it from here."

The rough employee raised a skeptical brow. "Heh, you serious, man? These things are damn heavy. It may not have looked like it, but even I was struggling a bit with them."

Clyde squatted, in a not so ideal form, to grasp the handles of the cans.

"Well you might not believe this, Hawk, but I've been building muscle for years now. Lincoln and I decided we needed to man up for the real world. Heck, now is the perfect time for me to show off the results of my training."

"Uh, Clyde, not to take away from your so called 'training' but maybe you should let numbskull here to do the heavy lifting. It's not like he can do much of anything else."

"Hey! Watch it."

Clyde shook his head in disagreement.

"Don't sweat it, Lana. I've got this one in the bag."

He did not, in fact, have this in the bag.

"H-how m-much further? Not to worry you but my arms are a bit numb!"

"Well we just made it out of the door, so I'd say 20 more steps, give or take."

"Twenty?!"

"Oh yeah, sorry miscalculated. I meant 25."

"This will be the death of me."

"Hey, I can't have you dying on me now! We've got a car show to see this Saturday and I'd like to be driven around for a change."

"I'll make sure to b-bring my license."

"That's what I wanted to hear."

Lana leisurely led Clyde's hobbling form from the store entrance to the back of the truck. The baggage free blonde lowered the tailgate as Clyde settled the paint on the ground.

"Well, you made it."

"My arms feel like putty. Is this how Olympic bodybuilders feel after a workout?"

"I'm gonna guess no. Here, I'll help you put them in."

"Oh, perfect timing."

"Har-har. Better late than never is what I say."

"Hang on, ugh it's Lola."

Just as she reached down to pick up a can though, the theme of the wicked witch of the west played rang out from her pocket.

"Can't you take that, I dunno, AFTER we're finished here."

"Lola never calls unless she deems it important. If I ignore her now, she'll be royally pissed."

"B-but!"

Before Clyde could say another word, Lana had already answered the call and began walking across the parking lot.

"Yeah? What do you want?"

"Oh, that's no way to greet your family. Show a bit more tact, sister dearest."

Lana snorted at her sister's tone. "Sorry, I just so happened to be in the middle of something, so I'm not so happy to have you distracting me."

"Is that what I am to you? A gnat around your ears? I thought our years spent together would given me more value your eyes."

"Just spit out what you want, Lola."

"Ah, ah, ah! Don't rush me, Lana. First, I have to tell you about the amazing discovery I made today."

Curiosity got the better of the mechanic. "Come again?"

"Oh, you wouldn't believe it! It was simply put, the most marvelous revelation in months! I'm honestly surprised such an epiphany came to me in the most mundane of ways."

"What are you talking about?"

Had the twins been face to face, Lana would have been witness to the dastard delight that appeared on Lola's face, a sight more unnerving for an innocent soul. "Ever since our little new living arrangement was formed, I've been oh, so ignorant of you and Clyde's personal lives. The job of a rising woman in my industry isn't easy, after all, as much as I make it look so. I've been consumed with my own life and work that ignored all that was happening around me."

"You're making it sound like you're actually gonna apolog-"

"But I am. Because I'm sorry, Lana."

It was the sincerity in the voice that first caught Lana's ears. The words registered seconds later, suddenly moving the right gears in the complex machine within her head for realization of what occured to come to fruition.

"Who are you, and what have you done with Lola?"

"Please, climb off your high horse, sis. It's not like I've never apologized before."

"Yeah but normally you don't have a change of heart strong enough to compel a call. The majority of the time, people have had to drag an apology out of you."

"Times change. I'm a grown woman now, and I plan to start acting like one. The first order of business is planning a little outing together."

"An…outing?"

One could imagine Lola wrapping a phone cord around her finger as she slowly explained herself. "That's right: an outing, a jaunt, whatever you want to call it. Like Clyde said, it's high time we start acting closer and what better way than through some good ole' fashioned bonding?"

Goosebumps slithered down Lana's arms. "Ugh, you're sounding like Dad. And I'm still not exactly buying that this thought just came to you all of sudden."

"Well…if you must persist, I had been giving this a bit of a thought."

"Tch, I knew it."

"You see I thought that going out would be good not just for us, but for you and Clyde specifically."

"Yeah that's what I- wait, what?"

"It's exactly as I said. You two are as consumed by your own problems as much, no, more so than me. With you Lana, it's your reluctance to have any sort of intimacy-"

"I told you already Lola, I've dated before."

"-that goes beyond surface level. Seriously, sis, have any of the few dates you've had go past the 'I'm attracted to you' and move on to something more meaningful? Something deep and wonderful that you kept near and dear to your heart."

"Now you're sounding like Lori."

"With that attitude, I imagine you haven't. Besides, if your recent break-up was as bad as I assume, chances are you need an escape from the bottle of negative emotions our apartment can turn us into."

"So what, you want us to go fishing for guys?"

"To put it in a more primal manner, yes. Or at the very least, have some fun with a few random strangers. Play around with them for a bit. Then let them go back into sea. Besides, this is beneficial for Clyde too. Don't tell me you haven't noticed how isolated he is. If it weren't for the occasional bathroom and food break he took, I'd barely know he even lived with us. He needs a life outside of work as much as the rest of us do, and that life does not need to revolve solely around Lincoln."

" _It's like she read my exact thoughts from earlier. Or spied on us. I wouldn't put it past her honestly."_

"Hold on, are you trying to put Clyde out there?"

"He's a relatively handsome and enterprising young man, despite his somewhat bookish personality at times. Honestly, considering their shared interest in academia, Lisa would be the perfect partner for him."

Unbeknownst to herself, Lana's heartrate increased as a small amount of anger wormed its way into her voice. "Yeah…I'm not sure about that. Especially considering she's what, hundred of miles away? Besides, I doubt she's his type."

"Well aside from blondes, considering his years long obsession with Lori, I honestly don't know what his type could be."

"Well…maybe it's just blondes?"

"Wouldn't that something. Well, we'll just have to see come this Saturday."

"Uh, Saturday?"

"Yup, it's the perfect day. What better way to end the week and start a new beginning in our relationship?"

"Relationship?!"

" _Oh, she's tripping up now._ " Lola mused.

"As friends. You know, the three of us. Jeez, what's on your mind, Lana. You're a little slow on the uptake today."

"It's just- look all I'm saying is- Saturday won't work."

The frown on Lola's face came almost immediately.

"And why is that?"

"I already planned on going somewhere with Clyde. You know, to get him out more."

"Oh. Well that's unexpectedly bold of you."

"Look, just between you and me…I think the guy's really stressing out. Maybe it's not having Lincoln close by, rooming with us, his job, or some weird combination of them all. You're right about him needing a life outside of all of that. So I figured, why not bring him along to a car show and let him experience something different and wonderful?"

"Time out, time out. You're taking him to a car show?"

"Yeah. It's got everything from vintage roadster to modern muscle cars. Ooh, and there's also a race later in the day that you can sign up for, provided you waive your right."

" _Leave it to Lana to make her idea of a date so boring and 'her'. Unless, she doesn't see it as a date? In which case, this is this the perfect opportunity to get the ball rolling!"_

"You know what, count me in. I'll join you two."

"You're joking right?"

"Absolutely not. I mean if it's really just a trip for Clyde's sake, does it matter if one more person joins the fray?"

" _She's trying to trap me. Come on brain, think up an excuse! Just say anything, anything!"_

"I... guess not."

" _Way to go brain._ "

"Goodie! Afterwards we can go clubbing to cap the evening off. It'll be perfect!"

"Greeeeeat."

"Don't worry. I know the best places where all three of us will be the most comfortable."

"That's very reassuring, coming from you."

"Of course it is. Anyways, I must be off! I have an appointment with a pedicure, and I do not need to keep my feet waiting." And with that, the beauty queen hung up.

"Bye to you, too." Lana pocketed her phone, scoffing at the ridiculous outcome of the call. Heading back to her pickup, she found Clyde on his butt looking close to death.

"I finally…got them…in there."

"Good work, bud. Before you know it, you'll giving Hercules a run for his money."

The two maneuvered into the car, Clyde sort of mimicking a zombie's shuffle. He was just putting on his seatbelt when Lana rested her hands on the gear shift.

"That was Lola by the way."

"Oh yeah?"

"Yup. Apparently, she will be joining us this Saturday on our excursion."

"…Is this a good thing or a…"

"Bad thing? I honestly don't know. She claims she's doing it to help us out but, knowing her, she bound to be up to no good."

"At least it'll keep the day interesting, huh?"

"Was I not interesting enough on my own?"

"That's uh, not what I-"

It was Clyde's misfortune that a snicker was drawn out from Lana.

"Relax, man. I'm just pulling your leg."

"Hah, yeah. I knew that."

"Suuuure you did."

Lana shifted into reverse and backed out of the space, her eyes on the road but her mind elsewhere.

" _I don't know what Lola's got planned but I'm not about to let her screw up my relationships, be they with friends or whatever. God, sometimes I wish an only child. Snoopy siblings are the worst."_

Clyde glanced over at the driver's seat. "But just so you know, you're like a quarter of the amount of interesting I am."

"Only a quarter?"

"Hey, Lola's like a fifth! So together, you guys add up to something slightly interesting to me."

"Keep dreaming, Clyde."

The duo headed back to their apartment, the sun setting in the evening sky and the day's troubles going with it to return another morning.


	10. Chapter 10

**Author's Note:**

 **Honestly, I felt like I was scraping the bottom of the barrel trying to extend this chapter out. The next one should have a bit more action so stay tuned for that!**

 **Living a Loud Life**

 **Chapter 10: Saturday, What a Day**

By the time the weekend rolled on though, Clyde was pooped. His stress over the dinner he was to attend on Friday had eaten away at his nerve more and more every hour. Mr. Clifford, although eccentric, was meticulous when it came to 'perform' for his friends. Whether it was a simple toast or an elaborate public speech, he always wanted to put on a show that would wow and awe those around. Needless to say, Clyde already assumed that simply going over the notes sent by him would not be enough for the night.

He was absolutely proven right.

"Come on. Was it really that bad?"

"Let's just not talk about it okay? That's an experience I don't want to look back on any day soon."

"Let the past be the past. I couldn't agree more."

"Says the girl holding onto her stuffed animal collection since pre-K."

"It's from kindergarten! And that's not what I meant in the slightest."

"Hey, no arguing today! Remember? This is a break from all of that and more. I don't want talk about work, I don't want talk about home, and I especially don't want to see you two at each other's throats. Got it?"

"Yes, sir."

"Yes, mom."

"Good. Cause all I wanna see or hear for the next few hours is cars."

Cars. As far as the eye could see. Well, at least as far as the parking lot that the event was set up on spread. Rows and rows of automobiles were parked, all coming in what appeared to be their best presentable appearance possible. These babies weren't just a quick car wash and done kinda ready. No, these were freshly oiled and greased, with new paint jobs and wheel replacements to make them as good as new. Models from nearly every decade imaginable could be found from the oldest of the old to the newest of the new. To Lana, it was like being a kid in a candy shop.

"Guys, pinch me. I must be in a dream."

Lola rolled her eyes. "Get over yourself, Lana. It's not the greatest thing in the world."

"NOT the greatest thing?! Lola, do you see that?! That's a 1955 Jaguar D-Type! And look over there! It's a 1970 Oldsmobile Cutlass!"

"Oh great. Nothing says vintage like having old in your name."

Clyde however, had been roped into the hype by Lana and was now perusing the lineup of vehicles with more and more gusto.

"Come on, Lola, you aren't the slightest bit impressed? These are literally the cars you see in those old Hollywood spy films!"

"Yes, because I've watched so many of those."

But no matter how much of a grouch she was, Lola's cynicism could not disturb Lana's pure child-like wonder. Dressed in a faded green short sleeve button up and jean shorts, the young woman twirled around in a trance. She was in a world of her own, among machine that spoke her language.

"This must be what heaven's like."

"A used car parking lot?" Lola mirthlessly replied.

Lana took a deep breath before exhaling with content etched on her face.

"A craftsman's paradise."

"Yup, this is heaven alright. All that's missing is a host of angels and Lucifer coming to screw things up."

"Well, well, well, look who stopped by."

A vein angrily twitched on Lana's forehead. "Speak of the devil."

A man wearing a tweed sports jacket and dark brown pants stepped towards the group. A watch, whose price Clyde supposed was more than a year's worth of his salary, adorned his left wrist while a platinum ring adorned his right middle finger.

"I didn't think you'd have the gall to show your face here after what you did, girlie."

Clyde stared confusedly at the newcomer. "Uh, Lana? Who's the guy with pompadour?"

"A very well-groomed pompadour, I must say." Lola spoke with amusement.

"Bloomington."

"Yes, Mack Bloomington, at your service." His introduction was marked with him doing a curt bow.

"Ah, what a gentleman."

"And may I say what a beautiful lady you are. To what do I owe the pleasure of having you and this shoddy mechanic coming to this event I helped finance?"

"My sister and I are here with my other roommate to take in the sights. Unfortunately, the view seems permanently ruined now."

"Really? The view from here is quite lovely, I must say." The man didn't even hide the fact that he was ogling Lola, an act Lana found even more disgust in.

"Wow, that's vomit level material, Romeo."

Bloomington ignored her in favor of talking to his more favored of the twins.

"Tell me, miss…"

"Please, call me Lola."

Lola offered a hand to which Bloomington gently grasped and kissed. The girlish giggle she let out made Lana gag and Clyde avert his eyes elsewhere.

"Miss Lola, how does one so charming as yourself find themselves in the same family as someone so repulsive as her?"

"Mr. Bloomington, in every orchard there's bound to be a few bad apples."

Lana interrupted the banter between the two with an observation of her own. "You know I'm surprised you're out and about, Mack, instead of beating off over that overpriced tin can of yours."

Bloomington scoffed at the notion. "For your information, my car is being handled by a world class pit crew at this very moment. Unlike you, they take care in making sure there's no mistakes."

"What do you need a pit crew for?" Clyde questioned.

"The race obviously! I'm competing this very afternoon and taking home the gold."

Lana's irritation turned into amusement as she doubled over laughing. "I'm sorry, you? One of your butlers isn't driving for you."

"I don't need a servant to due a master's job. Besides, my car will do all the work for me."

"Be careful, you may be eating those words."

"The only thing I'll eating this afternoon is the finest four course meal money can buy at the Lofty Lords hotel. Care to join, Miss Lola?"

"That depends on if you are as much of a winner as you boast to be."

"Ah, a true woman with taste. I'll shall prove my claims true for you, my dear."

"Au revoir, ladies and gent."

Bloomington gave another bow before spinning on his heel and walking back from whence he came. In his wake however, a very ticked off Lana was left clenching her fists and gnashing her teeth.

"If you would excuse me, I'm going to sign up for that race so I can kick some rich boy's tuckus."

"And then there were two."

"You say that like that's a bad thing. Look on the bright side. You won't have to deal with me and her arguing for a good few minutes."

"Besides, my company can't be that bad, right?"

"Define bad."

"Hmph, whatever. We might as well purvey the area since we're here."

"You know, I'd never tell Lana this, but there is something soothing about window shopping a bunch of automobiles."

It was only after a few seconds that Lola realized she had gotten no response. As she turned around to scold Clyde for his lack of attention, she found that he was actually not so subtly eyeing her outfit. A hot blush ran up her neck, but she quickly ignored it in favor of confronting the situation.

"What?"

"Hm?"

"You're staring."

"It's just, your outfit-"

"You like? I just had to top everyone else."

Indeed, her clothes were a few steps above everyone's else. Lola had gone all out. A vintage black and white pencil dress complete with matching gray sandals and church hat were her fashion choices for the day. In her left hand, she clutched an expensive designer clutch purse.

"You like you came to watch the Kentucky Derby."

"You think it's too much?"

"No, no! I mean, there's not many outfits you can't pull off. Not that this is one of those. It isn't but- oh gosh I'm digging myself deeper here."

"Smooth, McBride. I bet you pick up all the ladies with that."

"Ahaha…yeah."

"You know, Lana's not really angry."

"I think the steam coming out of her ears at when that guy was talking speaks for itself."

"I know her, McBride. Trust me. That was the equivalent of her playfighting."

A look of horror passed on Clyde's face. "You mean… she likes him?"

"Why? Is that a problem?" Lola waited to gauge his response.

"No- I mean, it's not my problem. But still-"

"No, she doesn't like him. Stop worrying. She likes the competition."

"What do you mean?"

"Lana adapted many things from our siblings. One of them happened to be a fierce sense of rivalry from our very own sporty Lynn Jr. Granted, this competitive nature doesn't manifest itself primarily in sports. For her, it's more of a male bravado type of thing. She likes showing she can be just as good, no, better than other men at the stuff they do."

"So, it's a pride thing?"

"More like an identity thing. I mean we're talking about the girl who wore khakis under her cap and gown. You throw in someone like that race and the Bloomington guy and suddenly she has another outlet for herself. Trust me, it's not often that she gets these kinds of chances."

Clyde contemplated these words.

"It's good she's able to. She hasn't been having the best week."

"Oh yes, because of that jackass, no doubt."

"I have standards, McBride. And I'm not insensitive. That man was foul and shallow. Anyone who can't see the beauty of my own twin and insults her is no worthy suitor of mine."

"But you flirted with him."

Lola impassively shrugged. "I _toyed_ with him. It'll be all the better when Lana kicks his ass and he realizes what a catch he lost out on."

A mixture of emotions swarmed in Clyde's head. The realization that not only had Lola been messing with the guy but was more defensive of Lana then he initially presumed hit him like a baseball. Okay, so maybe it wasn't the first time Clyde had misjudged her, or that she had shown immense perceptiveness. But he never thought the way Lana was treated would have such an impact on the relationships she pursued. Is that why Lola's last relationships ended? She criticized Lana's love life, but from what Lincoln had told him, none of her relationships made it past a year. There were a thousand questions and comments he could make but settled on a simple statement. "That's sadistic. Delightful, but sadistic."

"My, my, I believe you just described me to a t."

"You know, we should probably find seats for the race before the main crowd shows up."

"I'll find the seats. You should admire the vehicular displays before catching up with Lana. I think I've had my fill."

"You sure?"

"I'm certain. Run along now."

With Lola's blessing or commandment of sorts, Clyde dashed off in search of Lana. Strangely, the feeling of being left alone sat a bit heavier in Lola's heart than she was expecting. It wasn't that it was a surprise turn of events. Hell, it was far from it, in actuality. Lola was planning on getting Lana and Clyde together as many times as possible today, all while poking at their feelings when she got them each alone. Her teasing of Clyde's concern over Lana was just the tip of the iceberg for what she had planned later on. Still, she couldn't help but feel sad, or at the very least, disappointed in herself.

" _Of course, Clyde practically compliments your looks and you do nothing but rag on him. You could've at the very least complimented him back. I mean, it's not like he wasn't looking good today. Talk about dress to impress. Ah well, there's always another chance._

 _There always is._ "

And so, Lola went forth into the fray and strolled through the lot, developing a newfound fascination with 1973 Jaguars.


	11. Chapter 11

**Author's Note:**

 **Happy belated Valentine's day! Sorry I couldn't get this chapter out for yesterday but I was struggling to come up with ideas. Hopefully it turned out halfway decent at the least. Enjoy!**

 **Living a Loud Life**

 **Chapter 11: Slow and Steady**

The marvels of modern engineering surrounded Clyde, a gathering for auto junkies. Kids ran around army vehicles, teenagers lounged on convertibles, and men and women talked around motorcycles. It was nice to him, an occasion that he'd like to return to in the future one day. Presently though, Clyde was looking for one junkie in particular, a certain blonde who was furiously writing her name down on a wall posted sign-up sheet.

"Stupid Bloomington, I'll show him. He has no idea who he's messing with."

"I see you're not backing down."

Lana gave him a quizzical sidelong glance. "Do I seem the type too?"

"Not at all. But you may wanna calm down before getting behind the wheel. Your signature looks like scribbles."

In mockery, Lana hurriedly filled in the rest of the form's lines and inserted the paper into a submission box.

"I'd say that's an effective signature. And I don't need to calm down. The rage fuels me. That pompous dick can't even fathom someone beating him. It'll be 10x more cathartic when it's me with the gold."

"He's the type of person who doesn't even leave his bubble to go to the bathroom. It's not hard to see how blind he can be to real competition." Clyde suggested.

Crackling her knuckles, Lana shot him a serious look. "You know what really pisses me off? He thinks just because he has a fancy car that he's a shoo-in. It takes more than a machine right off the assembly line to get things done. My baby's customized, tinkered with by these very hands."

"Hands I will never ask where they've been."

Lana stuck her tongue out teasingly.

"As I was saying, I put more work into my truck than that chump's done his entire life. You'll see, I'll rip that road to shreds!"

"Well before you do that, how about taking one more stroll around here? Lola is almost assuredly going to drag us out of this place the second the race is done."

"Well, you do have a point there. Plus, I didn't get to see the monster truck section."

"After you, my good sir."

"Why thank you, sir."

And stroll the two did. Without Lola groaning or making snide remarks, Lana was fully able to immerse herself as a car hobbyist. She explained every little detail she could as Clyde was more than open to listening. She didn't know, but half of the stuff she was saying went in one ear and out the other for him. He didn't mind though. A week of cramming in info handed to you on short notice tended to wear a person's thinking cap out. Instead, Clyde paid attention to Lana herself, and all her enthusiasm. From the way her eyes lit up like sparklers when talking about the ingenuity of the engineering to the many gestures her hands did in describing it all, Clyde was fascinated with her as she was with the show.

What Clyde failed to notice however, was sneaky stares his companion was giving him.

Yet as all good things must end, so did their walk together as the racers were beginning to get ready

"We'll be cheering you on from the stands." Clyde pointed out a spot on the bleachers where Lola was seated, filing her nails. "Well, I'll be cheering at least."

"Thanks, my man. Glad I can count on someone to have my back."

 _"My man? God, kill me now._ " Lana beat herself up in her head.

"Lana!" The two turned their heads to their golden-haired roommate in the seats. "Don't come back unless you're bringing home the gold."

"Thanks for the pep talk, sis."

Lana gave a two-finger salute and took off. Eyes lingering for a few seconds, Clyde turned away and made his way up the bleacher stairs. True to her word, Lola had saved a seat for him, albeit a small, barely breathable space at the end of the row.

"What? No thanks?"

"You know when you said you save me a spot, I assumed it'd be big enough for more than one leg."

"Toughed up, McBride. If I have to sit among a crowd with a half days' worth of sweat built up, the least you can do is take the smaller seat as a gentleman."

"But there were other places we both could've sat comfortably!" Clyde complained.

"Yes, but this one was the first I saw."

Clyde's groans were ignored as Lola studied her reflection in a compact mirror.

"I don't know if I'll ever win with you."

"He won't beat me."

That's what Lana had been repeating in her head for the past few minutes. It was short of being a mantra, but it was something she could hold on to. Truth be told, she was nervous. Aside from a few late-night joyrides, she'd never been in a legitimate race before. Call it cliché, but she always saw herself as the woman behind the scenes, making sure everything was a well-oiled machine. Competing was more her sisters' thing. Lola did pageants, Luan talent shows, Luna rock contests, and Lynn, well, every sport under the sun. Her though? Unless you counted fighting with Lola, she wasn't one for these kinds of things.

But that rich pig-headed brat claiming he's the best? With the car she worked on? That ignited a torch in her heart to smoke the competition and shove the winning trophy in his conceited face.

A total of five cars were lined up, side by side on a newly paved road. The strip led in a straight line about a thousand yards flanked by the stands on one side and a field of freshly cut turf on the other.

"You still have time to turn back, Loud. There's no shame in being a scared little girl."

"Really? Cause I'd be pretty ashamed if I were you."

"Why you little-"

"Folks! Welcome to the 3rd annual Midtown Race!" A heavy southern accent was be broadcast from a table all the way down at the finish line. A man dressed in an all-white rancher's outfit, topped with a ten-gallon hat could barely be seen where Lola and Clyde were currently situated. A brunette woman, dressed in daisy dukes, cowgirl boots, and a rolled-up flannel, waltzed in front of the racers with a racing flag in hand.

"Please be advised that we are not liable for any injuries the participants acquire."

Raising his brows, Clyde shifted his head towards Lola.

"Uh…is this legal?"

"Eh."

"Good talk."

"The rules are simple. First one to make it across the finish line wins the grand cash prize and gold trophy! There are no other winners! Any false start, and you're disqualified!"

"Your ass is grass." Bloomington spat through gritted teeth.

"On your marks."

The racers diverted their attention to road ahead.

"Set."

The revving of engines filled the atmosphere.

"Go!"

The flag was waved, and the cars roared to life. A red mustang driven by a tattooed, mohawk wearing man pulled out in front of the pack. But for its acceleration, it sacrificed top speed and soon the 5 other racers zoomed right past it. Not long afterwards, a heavy-duty land cruiser that had been trucking right alongside everyone else suddenly sputtered and dropped back, having apparently burnt out its engine.

Three vehicles remained neck and neck on the strip. One the competitors, a lime green jeep piloted by a frat boy in a tank-top, shorts, and aviators, began pulling out in front of the others. Unfortunately for him, he didn't realize that the two other racers hadn't even come close to showing their limits. What was like a second wind struck the two automobiles and the frat bro was left in the dust.

It was down to the wire now. Two racers. Two speeding machines. One winner at the end of it all.

Bloomington floored it and took off cackling, giving an image reminiscent of Dick Dastardly. Of course, Lana wasn't about to let him win, Wacky Race or not.

"Looks like that death trap of hers ran out of juice! The win is mine for the taking."

Unbeknownst to Bloomington however, Lana rode in wait.

" _That's right, jerkwad. Get real comfortable in there."_

Despite the gap that formed, she was far from being out of the competition. Rather she was biding her time, the very seconds that passed with every foot their cars traveled. You see, Lana knew his car, front and back. She familiarized herself with every vehicle she worked on, whether or not she was fixing all or parts of them. One thing in particular she knew was that exact duration this model of car could maintain top speed before a manufacturing glitch slowed down the car a bit. It was a window of opportunity, and Lana wasn't about to waste it.

In a split second, Lana shifted her baby's gears and stomped the gas pedal. Like a bullet from the chamber, the two ton truck shot forward at full throttle. Suddenly seeing his incoming rival, Bloomington tried to speed up, but to no avail. His ride has already begun losing speed as Lana's was gaining it. To this day, Bloomington swears that as he was being passed, Lana gave him the finger.

The pickup truck crossed the checkered finish line, and the stands erupted into cheers.

"That's it, folks! The winner is racer #3, Lana Loud!"

"She did it!"

"Hmph. I knew she would."

By the time the two had made it down from the stands, the announcer was already handing Lana a brilliant trophy and check on a stage. The crowd that had gathered clapped in celebration and the young mechanic gave a curt bow to the applause. As she stepped down from the stage though, she was met with a bewildered yet equally furious Mack Bloomington, failing to grasp the outcome of the race.

"But you were- and I was- but how did you- HOW COULD YOU BEAT ME?!"

"I don't know. I guess unlike you, I take car in making no mistakes."

"You dare use my own words against me?!"

"Hey, you're the one who thought you could win on the car I worked on. Maybe you should invest in better ideas."

Bloomington was left agape as the champion walked over to meet her roomies.

"Lana! That was unbelievable! Those last few seconds where you were- and then you went whoosh and just- man, I can't even describe it!"

Lana bashfully played off the praise while pocketing the check. "Aw, shucks. It was nothing special."

"Nothing special? Nothing special?! That was the textbook definition of special! That was out of this world awesome!"

One person was less than impressed, though. "Leave it to the boy to freak out over cars going zoom."

"Lola."

"Lana."

What Clyde could only comprehend as a silent conversation was held by the twins as the two gazed at each other. Suddenly, Lola broke the moment.

"Nice work out there." The aforementioned sister gave a light grin.

"Thanks."

A smile of her own, graced Lana's mouth. "And thanks to you too, dude."

"Oh don't worry abou-"

A set of arms wrapped around Clyde's midsection and the words in his mouth died with the heat that rushed to his face.

Burying her face into his chest, Lana spoke, her cheeks flushed rose. "It's really nice to know you guys were looking out for me."

"Y-yeah."

Fake gagging broke the spell between the two, and they were left with a Lola Loud that was clearly done with the place.

"Alright, already. Enough of that mushy stuff. You guys did your little thing, now it's time we do mine. First things first, you two are getting out of those clothes."

"Uh, WHAT?"

"Don't let your mind go the gutter, McBride. This is purely a formal matter. We're getting you out of the trash you're wearing into something more club appropriate."

"I swear, Lola if you stick me in one of your strips of cloth that barely passes as a dress, I'm gonna-"

"Chill out, Lana. Have a little faith in me. I'm a beauty queen. Do you honestly think I'd let you down when it comes to this? Come on, don't you trust me?" Lola spoke, while batting her eyes.

Unsurprisingly, her two roommates did not, in fact, trust her.

And for good reason.


	12. Chapter 12

**Author's Note:**

 **Whew! It took forever for me to finalize this chapter. It's a bit longer than I meant it to be and had to kind of cut short as well. I'm hoping you still enjoy it though.**

 **I actually caught the last few episodes of season 3 this week. I kind of feel like the writing in the show has gotten better? Or maybe the added characters have just brought more life to the show. Who knows.**

 **Anyways, I hope you a have a good weekend!**

 **Living a Loud Life**

 **Chapter 12: Saturday Night Fever**

As it turned out, Lana indeed was going to kill Lola.

Everything she feared had come true. Rather than even attempt any sense of modesty, her sister had adopted to finding the most embarrassing outfit possible for her to wear. Spaghetti straps loosely held up a low-cut lavender lace crop top on her torso. A denim mini skirt hugged her legs and a pair of black platform heels supported her.

"I look ridiculous."

"Puh-lease. If there's one thing you have Lana, it's my body, to a degree. You can rock any outfit I can."

"Thanks for the self-centered vote of confidence."

"Lola, are you sure about these pants? They feel really tight-" Clyde gestured to his family jewels "-in certain areas."

"They're meant to be tight. We're going for sleek and sexy. A bunch of layered, loose clothing covering us from head to toe isn't going to draw any attention."

"Which I'm fine with."

"But I'm not. I have to be the center of attention. It's my calling."

"That's one word for it."

"Regardless, I suggest you suck it up and get moving. The lines don't get any shorter where we're going."

And indeed they didn't. The trio had opted to take a cab into town and we're dropped off at one of the busiest boulevards in the city. Scores of pedestrians we're taking up the sidewalks looking for open bars, cheap clubs, and free music venues. The smell of booze, hookah, weed, and perfume wafted in between the alleyways on each block. The crisp night air sent chills up Lana's exposed arms, goosebumps dotting her biceps. Clyde tugged at the collar of his shirt, the overwhelming nature of the evening crowds making him a bit anxious. Lola, oblivious or simply uncaring of the two's problems, dragged them down the street towards their first stop: a club by the name of Sun Kiss.

The outside was unassuming enough, a brick wall with some music act posters and a metal door guarded by a heavyset bald bouncer. The club's neon signed hanged overhead like some forgotten relic of a noir film set. The only thing that distinctly gave off any suspicious vibes was the line, well close to reaching the end of the block and around the corner as the trio approached.

"Earth to Lola: I don't think we're going to make it in here anytime soon."

"No shit. We get in that line now, we'll be thirty once we're actually through that door."

"Oh, we won't have to be doing any waiting at all."

"Frank."

"Lola."

"B-but, how?!"

"I have my connections."

"You know what? I don't even want to know. I just need to pee, really badly. That drive was way longer than it should've been."

"On that note, I, am getting a drink."

"Woah, woah, woah. Slow your horses, party animal. We're not here to get wasted. We're here to _impress_."

"Okay, 'o great one'. How, pray tell, do you want us to do that?"

"Well first thing first, you don't drink to get drunk, you drink o you look like you want to get drunk."

"Oh, I'm already lost."

"Look, guys always go after the easiest of girls in places like this. They see a tipsy girl, try to make her full blown drunk, bring them back to bed, and dump them the next day. It's a classic, sleazy routine practiced from times before."

"Yeah, that's generally looked down on today for being done, oh I don't know, without consent!"

"It's classic male dominant power dynamics. And today, we're going to flip it."

"So…we're just gonna get a guy really smashed…to smash him?"

"What? No! I- uh, you're missing the point!"

"Well there isn't really a better visual in my head when mention flipping the scenario of a blackout drunk girl getting banged."

"Just follow my lead! It'll all make sense in a little while."

"Sure. As long as I still get my drink."

"You know what sis? This isn't half bad."

"Now do you get it? It's not about being dragged around like a sack of meat. It's about getting the real meatbags to slobber all over you."

"Flipping awesome."

"Shut up."

"Hey, I would, but it looks like these guys like practically anything I say. Isn't that right, boys?"

"Tch, don't let all that praise go to that big head of yours."

"No promises 'o great one'."

" _That's it. The more confidence she gets in interacting with guys like these, the more self-confident she'll be in her romantic self. It won't be long before she's dating all kinds of guys and maybe just maybe…"_

" _Setting her eyes on one in particular."_

"Thank god, there was no line. Although moving the zipper in this thing is a bit of a stretch in these pants."

" _Heh, Luan would like that joke. Now where, oh where, did Lana and Lola head off too…"_

Luckily for him, he didn't have to look for long as the familiar rough voice boomed.

"Who's the best?"

"Lana! Lana!"

"I can't hear youuuuuuu."

"LANA! LANA!"

"Oh, this is beyond what I had in mind."

To Clyde's utter confusion, a group of guy had crowded around Lana who, herself, was standing on top of a barstool egging their cheering on. Lola sat nearby, facepalming from public embarrassment.

"Wow. I guess Lola wasn't kidding about drawing attention. It seems they've mastered the art of being social butterflies."

" _So where does that leave me...?_ "

"No!" Clyde exclaimed, slapping his face as a sort of wake-up call. "No drowning in my thoughts! Not today! Today I've gotta show those two that I can do the same! I already got these clothes picked out for me. They should do at least half of the work, give or take."

Giving one last look towards the twins, Clyde turned away and faced the music.

"Right. Time to put in my own effort."

Regrettably for Clyde, that was easier said than done.

Every attempt at making a pass at a girl he made fell flat. A decent flirt he was not. His game, so to speak, was a bugged-out mess. Conversation starters often lend to conversation ends.

"Nice night after the daily grind, eh?"

"Excuse me?"

"I mean, y-you know, the 'daily grind'. I wasn't talking about grinding. Not that I wouldn't mind grinding with you, but I wasn't asking- I mean I would like to dance but I was just trying to open up with a conversation first- aaaand she's gone."

Compliments often registered as insults.

"If you asked me, that dress does not make you look fat."

And pickup lines failed.

"Are you a fallen angel? Because- wait, I messed that up. Let me start over."

In conclusion, Clyde's game was a poor experience that could not be recommend to most.

Dejected over his rejections, the four eyed man trudged over to a mini bar close to the outside section of the club. Ordering a shot of tequila, Clyde mulled over his actions.

"Seven lovely ladies later and not a single successful dance. Maybe this night was a bust. A real flat one at that."

"Hehe, tell me about it."

So caught up in his thoughts, Clyde failed to notice the lady who taken the seat to his left, startling him out of his thoughts. Reddish brown hair, curled at the ends, cascaded down her back. She was wearing one of those sequin cocktail dresses, dripping in rose gold. Diamond studs adorned her earlobes like stars in the canvas of space. She had a lax composure; whether it was because of booze or something else was unknown. To say the least she was dazzling.

"Oh, and with that sense of humor, I'm surprised you don't have more girls jumping your bones."

"Haha, sorry about that. I've been thinking out loud a lot this night." Clyde dismissively waved her praise off as he nervously chuckled. "Not that those jokes are the kind always in my head but-"

"Hey now. I liked it."

Surprise, yet again, overtook him. "Oh? Cool. And thanks."

The mysterious patron moved her elbow on the bar, resting her head in her hand. "So, you came here to pick up chicks?"

"Well, kind of? I was sort of manhandled here by a tiny blonde demon in order to get out more."

"A tiny blonde demon?"

"Yeah. Don't worry, she's with her sister. That should keep her busy for a while."

'"Are you guys related? Like step siblings or-"

"What? No, nothing like."

Lifting her head from hand, and one of her eyebrows up in skepticism, the woman slightly leaned in towards Clyde. "Okay, let me get this straight. You came here with two girls and your plan tonight was to hit on some other women?"

"Alright it sounds skeevy when you put it that way but trust me, this is just a friend scenario here. Heck, both of them went out of there way to start hitting on guys first anyway! It's not like I just ditched them. Plus, it's not like they are involved in my love life anyways-"

"Woah there, no need to get so defensive. I was just curious is all."

"Ah, sorry."

"It's alright. Not gonna lie though, from the sound of things you got a lot on your shoulders right now."

"Oh, you don't know the half of it." Clyde mirthfully spoke.

"So, humor me. I've got all night. Buy me a drink and I'm all ears."

Well, tell he did. Clyde unraveled the yarn of problems and adventures over the last week. There were laughs, gasps, but most of all, understanding shared. When Clyde finished his tale, his companion grunted while circling the rim of her glass with her index finger.

"Damn, your professor sounds like a real dick."

"That would be my teacher evaluation. Thank god I'm not an actual student of his."

"Still, it sucks. God, I am so glad I'm done with school."

"Oh, where'd you graduate from?"

She paused, briefly, before replying. "I didn't. I went for two years before I got sick of it. I left, found a library that needed some help, and have been there ever since."

Clyde was nearly speechless. "Wow, to drop everything like that…that's a leap of faith I couldn't take. Or that my parents would allow."

"Eh, it's not like my mom and dad were too keen on the idea either. I just went with my gut on it. I mean I was going to school for statistics to please my mom when I decided I didn't care anymore. I had passion in literature and the classes I took weren't exactly advantageous towards that. When I left I went out on my own. No parental money, no friends by my side, just little ole' me."

"With every year I've been building back those relationships slowly. Some of my old school friends live close by and my dad and mom come to see me now and then. They're still overly cautious about, well, everything I do, but they've learned to accept it."

"Heh, sorry for rambling. And here I was harping on you for the same earlier."

"No, don't apologize! I'm honestly impressed."

Clyde stared at the empty drink in front of him, like an old fisherman over the sea.

"You took everything head on, regardless of the obstacle, and came out with something worthwhile. Meanwhile, here I am, moping about my research like I'm the only one in the world who's hit any walls before."

Glancing up, Clyde was startled by the lady's intense focus on him.

"What? Is there something on my face?"

"Come dance with me."

"Huh?"

"You heard me. Come on!"

Not waiting for an answer, the young woman grasped Clyde's wrist and pulled him along. After maneuvering through bodies after bodies of clubbers, they wound up in a pocket on the dance floor.

Clyde was visibly uncomfortable. "Uh, dancing isn't exactly my forte."

"There's no shame in that. Just move your body how you want."

"Heh well my legs don't always listen to me"

Though she didn't directly respond, the lady's eyes asking him to try said enough. Clyde began shuffling on the floor, moving with side to side steps. After a while he felt more at ease to move more than just one part of his body, bringing his hips and arms into the fray.

"See? You're getting the hang of it!"

"Yeah…I guess I am!"

Clyde wouldn't voice it, but he saw a change in the atmosphere. The air was charged between the two of them. Open eyes soon became half lidded. Smiles turned into sultry smirks. To his astonishment, he wasn't freaking out and she was into him. She took a bold step forward, bringing their bodies close together like magnets. Who was the positive and who was the negative in the relationship didn't' matter. All that did was that they were drawn together.

So caught up in their closeness was Clyde that he failed to take in his surroundings. An accidental shoulder check with a buzzcut dude, however, brought him out of his electric daze.

"Hey, watch it!"

"Oh, excuse me!"

"Did you just push me, man?"

"What-no!"

"Hey back off, jerk. He just bumped into you."

The shaved man gave a sneer. "Shut up, bitch. I'm not talking to you."

"What did you just call me?"

"You heard what I said."

"Hey chill out, man! Chill."

"Did you put your hands on me. Oh hell no, it's on now."

" _Oh boy._ "

 _A few minutes earlier_

"Hey, I haven't seen Clyde in a while. You think he's stuck in the bathroom?"

"Knowing him, he's probably too shy to pee in public. I have to work on giving that guy a backbone."

Lana and Lola were still at the bar. An outburst from the latter after being annoyed by the former's antics led to all the guys rushing away. Glumly, Lola decided to partake in drinking a few lime shots with Lana, who herself was thoroughly pleased with getting on her twins' nerves.

"He was plenty brave earlier this week when we saw Hawk."

Lola spun around. "Wait a minute, you mean Hawk from Royal Woods?"

"What other Hawks do you know? Anyways, we ran into him at a store he worked at. Dude still hasn't lost his temper. He and I were butting heads, but Clyde stepped into try and break things up."

"Really? We're talking about the same guy here, right?"

"Just because he's reserved a lot of the time doesn't mean he can't act manly."

Lana's face lit up reminiscing over the incident.

"He's a good guy."

"Go ahead and marry him why doncha. I'm sure you'd make a happy couple."

"Haha, yeah right." Lana laughed off.

"I'm serious. Besides its not like he's gonna find a girl on his own."

"Uhhh, you may wanna rethink that one."

Lola peeked over to where he sister had begun pointing. One the dance floor they could vaguely make out Clyde and a mysterious woman grinding on each other. "No way…"

"Who is she?" Lola inquired.

"Let me just pull her I.D. for you."

"Hardy-har. Seriously, no one like that just dances with you. For all we know she could be trying to weasel him out of something!"

"Or maybe she's trying to weasel him into something…"

"Eugh, Lana!"

"I'm just saying! She looks pretty happy dancing with him is all."

Lola, although fairly disgusted, couldn't help but internally agree. The two out on the floor seemed lost in lust together. Could it be as simple as that? Lola squinted closer at the lady's face.

"Say, doesn't she seem a bit familiar?"

"Huh, now that you mention it, she kinda looks like…"

That train of thought derailed when the twins observed Clyde getting roughly grabbed by another dude.

"Uh-oh. Trouble alert."

At first, Lana and Lola were unsure with how to proceed with the situation. Of course, things escalated with the stranger throwing Clyde on the ground.

"Oh my god."

"Did he just-"

Lana tightened her fists. "Oh hell no. No way I'm gonna let some jackass wail on my friend on my watch!"

Snaking through the crowds, she approached the man from behind.

"Hey! Hippo head!"

"Huh? Who the hell-"

He was abruptly cut off by a cross to the jaw, rendering him unconscious.

"Don't even think about getting back up."

"Lana, Lola, what the heck? I had this under control!"

Lola, having caught up to the group, was unimpressed.

"You mean getting the snot kicked out of you?" "This totally proves your point about him being manly."

"Just looking out for you, Clyde."

"Wait, are these the sisters you were talking about?"

The second Lola heard that voice, a wave of realization crashed over.

"Lindsey SWEETWATER?!"

"Lindsey what now?"

"Ha! I knew I recognized I you!" Lana exclaimed.

"Lola Loud!? Why are you hanging out with him?"

"I could ask you the same question, skank!" Lola derided.

Lindsey scowled. "Uh you mind saying that again?!"

"Oh, I'd gladly-"

"Hey ladies-"

"WHAT?!" Both girls yelled at Clyde.

"In case you didn't know, it looks like we'll be having more company on the way."

Indeed, in the time they were yelling a circle had formed around them. A gang of bouncers were already on their way from the front of the club.

"Come on! This way!"

Lana took off towards the back and the three others quickly followed. In the midst of their escape, however, one of her heels broke.

"Lana! Those shoes were expensive!"

Grimacing at the complaint, she quickly took off the pair and lobbed them into Lola's arms. "Yeah well I'm the last person you should've lent them to."

"Less talking! More running!" Lindsey hurriedly suggested.

The quartet made their way out the back of the club, through the open-air courtyard filled with drunken adults engaging in merriment. Perhaps had things gone differently earlier they would have naturally made their way out here under calmer circumstances. Now though, they had no time to savor the mood. The four of them ran to the street in panic as a pack of rats fleeing a cat would. Once there, they scurried down several blocks, not once checking over the shoulders for any pursuers. After what felt like forever, the four finally rested at corner, tired and sweaty.

Lana, uncaring of any sense of decency, sat on the concrete sidewalk, massaging her soles from their bare trek. "Phew. I think we're in the clear."

Lola, irate and uncomposed, glared at Clyde. "Now then, mind telling us why you're saddling up to this cold-hearted witch?"

"Lola!"

Lindsey however interjected, resting a hand on Clyde's shoulder. "You know, I'm more curious as to how someone as sweet as you ended up friends with someone as foul as her."

"What are you even doing in this city, Lindsey? Don't tell me you're…stalking me?!"

"Stalk you? As if! It's more likely you're the one stalking me! I know how obsessed you were with beating me in every beauty pageant."

"You're the one who stole my dance routine in the junior high turkey pageant!" Lola spat.

"More like we had the same dance tutor which is, oh, so strange considering I was the one who mentioned getting lessons in the first place!" Lindsey countered.

"Hey! Hey! Calm down you two!"

Lindsey and Lola halted their shouting match as all eyes fell on Clyde.

"Now, I think we can have a reasonable discussion we're both of you explain everything. Of course, it'd be best if we found someplace indoors to talk, considering the chill."

"…Sure."

"Whatever."

"Fine by me." Lana lazily added. "So long as there's a bar there. I've had my fill of 'impressions' for the night. I'm itching to get trashed now."


	13. Chapter 13

**Living a Loud Life:**

 **Chapter 13: Bottom's Up**

"You couldn't have picked a better bar?"

Clyde and Lana were situated on a high-top table in a dimly lit Irish pub. Music memorabilia and classic cinema posters filled the walls and a smoky haze permeated the air. Clyde nearly choked the second he walked into the place and was struggling not to rush out of the room for fear of his lungs clogging up. Lana, already used to toxic fumes from her professions, was at ease in the joint, comfortably drinking her fill and going beyond the threshold of just being tipsy.

"Heyyyyy, it wasn't like any of YOU were deciding soon."

"I know but…isn't this crowd a bit old?"

"Eh, what does it matter? *hic* I'm here to get drunk; they're here to get drunk. I don't really see a problem."

"You are way past the point the point of being drunk."

"And thank GOD I am!"

"Hey! Hey you! Another round of shots or the two of us here."

"Lana, I really just wanted a light buzz tonight-"

" A 'light buzz'? Pft, nonsense! You're drinking with me now Clyde McAbide-By-the-Rules!"

"Mc who now?"

Suddenly, Lana raised her arms in the air and let out a bellowing cry.

"SATURDAY NIGHT!YEAAAAAAH!"

"…yeah." Clyde meekly replied.

"I almost forgot your family's name isn't for show."

At the bar itself, Lola and Lindsey sat, taking up one of the corners.

"Hmph. I can sure you, Sweetwater, my family is may things. Don't be fooled by appearances, we're far more complex than you can possibly imagine."

"SHOT, SHOT, SHOT, SHOT!" Lana chanted in the distance.

"…Most of us." Lola lamented.

Lindsey took a swig of a cold bottled IPA. "I'll take your word then. But seriously, Lola, what the hell are you even doing in this town?"

"I can't believe you have the audacity to ask me that. You're the one who was attempting to ensare my roommate with your wily ways. No doubt you were planning some form of revenge on me by getting information out of him, no?"

"Long-term- no, you know what? Screw you. When I came to this city I wanted to get as far away from my life as I could and yet, here I am, face to face with my damn childhood nightmare."

Lola leered across the table. "That makes two of us, sweetie. You don't want to know how many beauty sleeps were twisted and interrupted by your visage in my head."

"You're right. I don't want to know about your wet dreams."

"Th-that's not what I mean!"

No amount of excuses could wipe the smirk off Lindsey's face. "Whatever, Loud."

"Anyways, I'm here because this place happens to be the best short-term trajectory in my career path. I'm working for a Hollywood big shot, see. A bunch of pencil-pushing and phone calls, I know. But I've slowly gotten more and more responsibilities in my fold. It won't be long before I'm finally able to break out on my own and make headway as star myself!"

Bitterness bit at Lindsey's tongue. "So you actually went into the entertainment industry, huh?"

"Why of course. It is best suited for my talents, after all."

"I thought you'd never want to work for those types of people ever again."

Sweatdrops formed on Lola's temple as she cleared her throat. Memories, unpleasant ones, were beginning to surface in the back of her mind. She shook her head as if trying to knock those recollections out of her skull. "Well…we can't all dwell on the past."

"Yeah, but what you went through? I mean, to think that you-"

"Look, what's done is done, alright?!" She shakenly decreed.

Lindsey raised her hands in a placating manner. "Okay! Okay, I get it. Just…tell me: why are you out here? Last I heard you were on the other side of the country."

"Things changed. I fell out of love with what I was doing. So, I had to follow my heart somewhere else."

Lola stared out across the bar, her eyes falling on her pair of roommates slow dancing together. "Follow your heart, huh?"

"Wait, don't tell me you were jealous?"

"What?"

"Of me. And Clyde."

"M-McBride?" Lola sputtered. "Heh, yeah right. Keep dreaming, Sweetwater! There's no way I would ever be jealous."

"Suuuuuuure."

"Listen! Pigs would have to fly for before I dated him."

"Why are you so against the idea? I mean, not gonna lie, he's kind of cute and charming."

"Cute?"

"Yeah." Lindsey longingly looked at him. "There's an earnestness to him, you know? At least that's what I got from the time we talked. A lot of people lose that sincerity the older you get. But him? He's still got it."

"It's something he and my brother have in common."

"Oh, you mean Lincoln? He was hot back then."

"Gross! And yeah, him. They're best friends after all. They used to live together too."

"Ah, so that's why you two are rooming with him now. Your brother ditched him but felt bad about it. So he contacted you guys to come in."

"Huh? That's not what happened. Lincoln just moved to have an easier commute to his job. Clyde couldn't because of where his job was so it didn't work out. Lincoln offhandedly mentioned we were in need of a place to stay and Clyde suggested we room with him."

"But Clyde would have never known you needed a place if it wasn't for him though, right?"

"Well yeah but…"

"It looks obvious to me. Your brother set you up."

Try as she might, Lola could not fully doubt Lindsey's claims. The thought that her only brother used her as an appeasing gift disgusted her. She had known and worked with men firsthand who used girls as props, tools to be picked up and dropped when the job was done. It's one thing when the guys are strangers. But to have her own flesh and blood do something like this?

Lindsey was concerned with the pained visage on her old rival's face. "Hey, you alright?"

"I- I need a drink."

"Look Lola-"

"Bartender!"

Said man, stopped in front of the pair after Lola called for him.

"What would you like?"

"Rum and coke. Open tab."

In an act of comfort, Lindsey grabbed Lola's hand and gave it a squeeze. It was an unexpected action for the both of them, Lola never thinking her long-time competitor would ever care for her well-being, and Lindsey never expecting herself to get emotionally involved in Lola's life.

"Hey look, I didn't go out tonight to mess with your emotions, relationships, or whatever. I went out because as much as I enjoy my new life, even I need to get out and be around new people."

"Yeah, so what's your point?"

"Maybe Lincoln had the same thought. Maybe he couldn't handle being shackled to the past."

"My brother is many things, but he'd never ghost Clyde like that. They have a combined nickname for Pete's sake! He's not the type to just abandon him like that."

"Oh really?"

"Yes!"

"Then when's the last time those two hung out?"

"Well-"

"Loud?"

"Oh god. Bartender!"

"Yeah?"

"I need another."

Back at the other pair's table, a pyramid of shot glasses was stacked in the center. Lana, now firmly in a sloshed state, was recounting a tale of customer she had at the auto shop.

"And so I said to the guy- I said to him: 'get lost numbnut'. And you know what I did? You wanna know what I did?"

"Yeah. What did you do?"

"I kicked him. In the NUTS." Lana howled with glee.

Clyde shook his head. "You're crazy."

"Aren't we all? Nothing wrong with being a little mad every now and then."

"I don't have the stomach for violence. Heck, I barely have the stomach to manage this much alcohol."

Lana gave a toothy grin. "You can never have too many alcohols."

"Hehe. Can you have too few alcohols then?"

"Yup. If you're not having at least five a week, you're living life wrong."

Clyde leaned back in his chair, arms folding behind his head. "Well I guess haven't been right my entire life."

"Eh, you still turned out okay."

"You think so?" Clyde shyly asked.

"Yeah, I do. I really do, man. You're…something else. Something special. The world needs more special."

"Thank you. Really. That really means a lot, especially coming from-"

"Shhh! Do you hear that?"

Over the laughs, knocking glasses, and intoxicated conversations, a soft, low tempo rock tune was playing over the bar speakers.

"Oh my god! I used to love this song!"

Lana sprung up like a cobra and coiled an arm around of one Clyde's.

"Come ooon! Let's dance!"

"You're just gonna fall over."

"Pfffft. I'm NOT that drunk. Come onnnnnn."

Clyde, far too amused with a drunk Lana, relented. "Alright. Alright. I already got over my stigma once. I can do it again, I guess."

"Yaaay!"

The two stumbled over to a more lit portion of the pub, where the shadows didn't blanket their bodies. There was a sizeable height difference between the pair, one that made Lana feel slightly like an ant in such close proximity. Clyde noticed the awkwardness between them but refused to get cold feet. Taking a tentative step forward, he laid his arms on Lana's sides, not with the force of a wrestler, but with the heed of a potter. Sensing the regard Clyde was giving to put her at ease, Lana found the strength get over her own reservations. Throwing caution to the wind, she laid her palms onto Clyde's shoulders and began to sway with him. After a moment, she pressed her head against his chest eliciting a blush from them both.

"You know, this is nice."

"Yeah, it is."

"I thought you preferred the raunchier kind of dancing. Lindsey Sweetwater sure seemed to."

"You were uh, watching?"

"Lola and I were curious is all."

"I gotta admit, it was fun."

"Hmm."

"But this is fun in its own way too."

"Clyde…"

"Yeah?"

"Do you know why I used to love this song?"

"Uh…no. Why?"

"When it used to play, it meant I still had time as a kid. I didn't have to grow up."

"Lana?"

Though Clyde couldn't see, silent tears fell down her face. "That changed. I can't listen to this song anymore."

"Lana, are you okay?"

"I…I-"

Liquid vomit ejected from her throat, pooling on the floor in a noxious puddle. Clyde's shoes were not spared.

"Ah man."

"I got you. I got you."

Clyde rubbed soothing circles into Lana's back as she threw up in steel garbage bin in an alleyway. Nearby, Lola absentmindedly checked her social media on her phone, drowning out the noise of vomit in pictures and videos. Lindsey had long left the group to head back to her own apartment, coincidentally not far from Lola's job. Before her ride came, she asked for Clyde's number and texted her own to him much to Lola' chagrin. Lindsey's presence for one night was bad enough but having her possibly become a recurring part of her life? That, combined with Lana's antics drove a tipsy Lola over the wall.

"This is just great, Lana. First you break my heels. Now you barfed all over the clothes I lent you. I knew there was a reason I never took you out in college."

"For what it's worth. Your bitching is why I never took you out in college either."

"Hey, potty mouth. Keep it shut. We don't need your word vomit to mix with your actual vomit."

"Come on. Give it a rest, you two." Clyde attempted to mediate. "We're all exhausted and inebriated here. Bickering back and forth isn't gonna make any of us feel better."

"Yeah, but it'll make the time pass by faster."

Feeling a need to change the topic, Clyde directed his attention to Lola. "Did you call a cab?"

"Do I look as incapacitated as her? Of course, I did."

"Good. How far is it?"

"About two hours away."

"WHAT?!"

"Apparently, there was some festival going on today so everyone and their grandma came out. All the cabs are taken and the few others that weren't didn't want to drive to where we live."

Clyde threw his arms into the air. "Great. That's just great."

"It could be worse." Lana spoke.

"How?"

Lana replied by upchucking a stream of fluid, hitting Clyde's pant legs in collateral damage.

"Not my pants too!"

"I could be spewing from more than just one end." Lana joked.

Lola's face greened. "Oh, I think I'm gonna be sick."

Clyde hopelessly wiped one of his legs with a spare tissue in his pocket. "One of you is enough, thank you!"

Cleaning himself up as best as he could, he stood up and let out a frustrated breath.

"I guess we'll just take the bus."

Lola, as confused as kid in a philosophy class, gave Clyde an inquisitive look, hands on her hips for emphasis. "In case you didn't notice, McBride, the nearest bus stop is half a mile away and my sister barely seems able to crawl a few feet."

"I can…manage."

"Here."

Rather than take her word, Clyde kneeled down in front of Lana, his arms stretched out back.

"Well? What are you waiting for?"

"Seriously? You're gonna carry her across several blocks?"

"Do you have a better idea?"

"We could ditch her?" Lola eagerly voiced.

"I'm going to pretend I didn't hear that."

"Are you sure about this, Clyde? I meaaan, I'm not the lightest person."

"I'll manage."

Hesitating for a bit, Lana assented. It took a bit, given her impaired set, but she climbed onto his back and looped her arms around his neck.

"You good?"

Rising up, Clyde almost tumbled but found his footing at the last minute.

"I- I got this." He strained.

"Listen if her fat ass is too heavy for your skinny-"

"I've got this."

"You seem extra grumpy, Lolster." Lana slurred. " Lindsey reaaally got under your skin, huh?"

"Bite me."

"You heard the lady. Clyde, carry me over so I can bite her."

"Ha, as if he'd listen to- Clyde, why are you coming over here- stop! I surrender, I surrender!"

Clyde and Lana gave chase to Lola, laughing hysterically as they did. Peeking behind her, Lola herself couldn't hold back her laughter. They had the appearance of a mother koala and her baby. Perhaps she was a tourist who had tested, one too many times, the patience of the wildlife. Maybe it was nothing like that at all. But it helped lift her spirits and end the night on a happier note.

After their energy was beginning to hit low, the trio set out to the bus stop, falling into a peaceful silence. Some time passed before Lana let out a content hum.

"Mmm."

"You sound happy. And sleepy."

"I haven't gotten a piggyback ride in a loooong time. I miss them."

Clyde fondly looked up into the starry night sky. "Well I can't remember the last time I gave one so that makes two of us."

"You smell nice."

"Oh, uh, ok."

"And your back's suuuuper…comfortable."

"Heh, good to know." Feeling a bit impassioned, Clyde decided to address something. "You know, Lola, this was a pretty fun night after all. I gotta give you props for that."

Cheeks dusting pink, Lola quietly replied behind back. "I'm glad you had you fun."

"Yeah, I think we both did. Right, Lana? Lana?"

Looking over his shoulder, Clyde found his passenger soundly asleep, tendrils of drool dripping down her chin and onto the fabric of his shirt. "She passed out. Great."

"Don't look at me. I'm not the one who's gonna be carrying her up three flights of stairs."


	14. Chapter 14

**Living a Loud Life**

 **Chapter 14: For He's a Jolly Good Fellow**

"And that sweetie, is the night me and your father fell in love."

"Oooh! Can you tell another one! Tell me he proposed."

" _Please don't._ "

Clyde was so done. He was ready to call quits any second now. The never-ending romantic stories the lady over by the brassieres was regaling to her child were only the half of it. The fact that he'd been waiting so long in the women's section that he'd begun to call bras brassieres was the other part. If there was one thing he imagined his Sunday afternoon to consist of, hours of clothes shopping was not it. Yet here he was, sitting on a bench outside a dressing room with stacks of bags to his left.

"Lola! Please tell me you're-"

"Almost done!"

Clyde let out a humid sigh of relief. "Thank god."

"With the dresses, that is!"

"Oh brother."

Fingers dragged down the skin of his cheeks, shaping it like clay into the face of a weary man. He didn't know what evil spirt has possessed him into agreeing to go with Lola to buy replacements for the clothes Lana had involuntarily ruined last night, but he imagined it to be one of great malevolence. Clothes shopping was not his thing. Antiquing? He'd be ready to set up a tent in the store to spend all night in the store.

"Can't you, I don't know, go a little faster?"

"Why don't you trying changing into women's clothes. You're lucky corsets aren't trendy these days. Still, if you want me to hurry up so bad…"

"You could always help me unzip…"

"I uh, um- guys aren't exactly allowed, well-"

"Hmph. I guess Lana was right. Looks like you really are McAbide-by-the-rules."

"It's just- I don't want to get you into trouble, you know?"

"Ha! You should've seen the look on your face. And Luan told me I couldn't pull a prank."

"Wait, you mean-"

"I was kidding about letting you in? Of course, dweeb. And by the looks of it, I got you good."

"B-b-but-"

"Now if you'll excuse me, I some more clothes to try on."

" _Okaaaay, that was flirting right? Like, I'm pretty sure she was being coy with me. At least fifty percent sure. Oh, who am I kidding, I have no idea! It's the same with Lana. A week ago, I was more or less on neutral ground with them. Now, we're all acting really weird."_

" _There's no way it can be that simple though, right? I mean Lana did jut break up with someone, so she's definitely not looking for a relationship. And Lola well…I'm pretty sure I'm not her type in the slightest. So, what then?"_

" _Maybe Lana is looking for a rebound? No, that's a shallow thought. Perhaps she's just looking for emotional support? I really don't know the depth of what happened between her and that other guy but maybe it cut deeper than the timeframe made it seem? But what about Lola then?"_

" _God, I wish I knew what she was thinking._ "

" _Oh my gosh, what was I thinking?!_ "

" _So much for pushing those feelings down. That's as obvious as you can get!"_

"Ehem. Well, I'll leave you to it."

" _Oh brother…_ "

* * *

"Hey, I know I said I'd leave you to it but uh," "don't you think we've been here a while?"

"Well funny story but um, I think the zipper on this dress is stuck."

"Enough joking around, Lola. I'm not gonna fall for your attempts at teasing me again."

"I'm not playing here, McBride. This dress is actually, ugh, really tight. Hell, it's kinda hard to breathe in this thing."

"Oh, well then, let me get an attendant too-"

"No! I mean…"

"Can you just come in here help?"

"W-why me?"

"Because I trust you to not judge unlike other people, now are you getting in here or what?"

"This is…"

"D-don't stare too long, okay?" "Just, help me with this."

"I'm not an expert on fashion but," "This does not seem to be your type of dress at all."

"It's trendy with fashion models these days. You know, the kind of people Leni works with. Back in my pageant days I could have gotten into this no problem, what with the diets and corsets. Now though?"

"It looks like I've let myself go."

"Lola, this may surprise you, but your definition of "letting go" is not the same with normal people."

"I mean just look at yourself you're-"

"A person past my peak?"

"- a beautiful woman. I might not be the most perceptive person out there and hey, I have some of the thickest prescription I know for a guy my age. But, even the dumbest blind person could see how lovely you are."

"You really think so?"

"I know so."

"Oh, would you look at that? The zipper unstu-"

It was in his astonishment of getting it to move that Clyde failed to stop it from sliding down to far. Lola, jumping a bit from shock, accidentally wriggled out of the top part of the dress, leaving her upper torso nude. What was laid bare was a sight that gripped Clyde's throbbing heart. Smooth, unblemished skin trim of excess fat was before him.

"St-st-stu"

"Hey…"

Clyde gulped at what he saw next. If Lola's body didn't do him in, the fire in here eyes at that moment would. It was an all-consuming blaze, something Clyde had never seen from her before. Not one of rage, or anger, but something else entirely. Something…sultry.

"Ma'am?"

The voice outside the dressing room shook both the pair out of whatever moment they were having. An attendant had stopped by, several blouses in arm.

"Is everything alright in there, ma'am?"

Lola motioned for Clyde to stay silent before responding. "Yes! Everything's fine! I'm alright!"

"Do you need me bring you anything? A different size? Some hangers?"

"Actually there is a dress in here that you can take back."

"Are you sure, ma'am?"

"Yes." She smiled warmly at Clyde. "It's not quite to my liking."

* * *

With shopping bags in hand, the pair made their way into the food court of the mall. Lola, apparently worn out from all the walking around, grabbed a table while Clyde headed over to a pretzel stand to grab them a snack. After a few, he came back with refreshing lemonade and newly made pretzel bites for the both of them.

Clyde took a long sip, before breaking the ice. "I don't know how we made it out of there."

"Why, through my cunning ingenuity of course." Lola, bit into the soft, velvety dough snack provided for her. "Sneaking you out of the dressing rooms was as easy as pie."

"Heh, I meant leaving the store itself. With those sales, I assumed you'd keep us in there 'til closing time."

Clyde's snark only slightly got on her nerves. "Haha. For your information, I'm only the 3rd worst daughter in my family when it comes to clothing."

"Well, I'm guessing Leni is above you but who else could be worse?"

"Lucy obviously. Do you know how expensive gothic wear can get?"

"…Do you honestly expect ME to know?"

"Meh. To be fair, it's still nothing compared to the time she bought those designer jeans."

A half-eaten pretzel bite fell out of Clyde's mouth. "Lucy? In jeans?!"

"People can surprise you in the strangest way. I mean take Lynn for example, the physical embodiment of contact sports. You'd never guess it, but she had a ballerina phase."

"What? No way."

Lola leaned in, as if sharing a dirty secret at a sleepover. "Yes way. She went the whole nine yards too: Swan Lake and all."

"I don't know whether to be shocked or impressed."

"We all have a moment or two where we show a side completely opposite to ourselves. Lisa once told me she theorized it doing with some form of personal rebellion against the identity we present in society or what not. I kinda zoned her out after a while but still got the gist of it."

"So, what you're saying is Lana may actually do a spring cleaning?" Clyde smirked at the thought.

"Ha, not in our lifetime. What I'm saying is, every now and then, people like to experiment."

"You'd think all that time I spent in a lab would teach me that."

"Hey, you weren't in a lab yesterday, but if you ask me, you did plenty of experimenting of your own."

Lola could barely bite back the smile at her lips forming at the embarrassment etching itself onto Clyde.

"Ah man, somehow I knew you were going to harp about that. Do you know the meaning of personal business?"

"Tsk, tsk. Oh, sweet roomie of mine, it's my talent to be nosy an involved in the wrong places. And to be truthful, I'm quite proud of you. I mean yeah, it's a bit disgusting it's Lindsey Sweetwater of all people but still, that was definitely not the McBride I knew on the dance floor."

"Geez, was I that bad? God, I was barely focused on the way I was dancing out there. I must've looked like a total tool. I blame the drinks, one hundred percent."

"You kidding me? You had some slick moves out there. And I know for a fact it wasn't just Sweetwater who had her eyes on you."

Clyde blushed at the insinuation. "Hehe. I don't know about all that."

"I mean, I won't say it was _perfect._ There still some fine-tuning in your game you could use here and there. But overall, your technique was fairly solid for an amateur, so I'll give you that."

"…Thanks." Clyde frowned.

"Don't mention it."

"Well, I guess my skills on the floor must've really stood out if you of all people were watching me."

"That was purely for observation purposes! I wasn't gonna let Lindsey beguile you into one of her wicked traps."

"Awww, you do care." Clyde batted his eyelashes for maximum effect. Lola, tomato colored from head to toe, gave him the finger in protest.

"Shove off!"

Clyde barked out a laugh that even got Lola grinning with him. "You know, I'm actually really thankful that I've been able to hang out with you and Lana lately."

"Really?"

"Yeah. I mean, just a few weeks ago I barely spoke a few sentences between you that wasn't about some household chore or errand to do. Lana, I got a bit more out of, but it wasn't the same as, well…"

"Lincoln?"

"Yeah. It's just weird, you know? We spend several months seeing each other every day, morning and night. We grabbed lunch together and watched sci-fi shows in the evening. We hung out in all our spare time over the weekends and everything."

Clyde's hands waved around the air, as if physicalizing all the activities they once did. He then stopped them though and let them limply fall back into his lap.

"To go from that to practically zero contact hurts."

Lola quirked a brow up in confusion. "Wait a minute, you guys haven't talked since?"

"Not exactly? I've sent a text message every now and then, but he's been really dodgy for some reason. Suddenly, he's been busy on all those days he used to not be."

Thoughts of her conversation with Lindsey slowly crept back into Lola's mind. Lola refused to believe her though. She was just paranoid, right? It wouldn't be the first time Sweetwater had been suspicious of a Loud before. She was just trying to get back at her through Clyde is all, in some roundabout way. Even so, she couldn't help but think up some other possible excuse for Lincoln's actions, for her sake more so than his.

"Maybe it's the distance? I mean, he's living on the other side of town now. It's not like he can just drive over and chill with you every day."

"I know, I know that. But even when I offer to go there, he's been against it. Even on weekends! The whole thing is just super sketchy to me."

Clyde scratched at his scalp as his expression became downcast.

"Maybe I hurt him. Like, I can't think of when I could've or what I did, but it would explain the silence. The sudden lack of communication would actually have a reason."

An even stranger thought crossed his mind.

"Or maybe he's keeping something from me."

" _Should I tell him?_ " The idea crossed Lola's mind. Tell her roommate who was just starting to maybe become something more that his best friend might've ditched him on her and her twin. That'll go great for his trust issues. " _No,_ " she decided, " _I can't._ "

But what could she do? Call up Lincoln and force them to talk?

" _…Screw it_." She reasoned.

"…Well if you're so paranoid, why not just call him up now?"

Clyde blinked rapidly, as if awakening from deep sleep. "You mean like right now? No way! It's not like he'd pick up or anything."

"Ugh, stop being such a boy and grow a pair. Look, I'll even call him on my own phone for you, so he has no prior way of knowing."

"But-"

Unfortunately, she didn't give him the time to finish as Lola had pulled up her brother's contact in the midst of talking. Already the dial tone was ringing until a familial voice was heard on the other end. "Hello?"

"Lincoln! It's your favorite sister!"

"Really? I didn't know Lily changed names."

"Why, you-"

"I kid, kid!" Lincoln chuckled. "You're all my favorites though! How are you doing, Lola?"

"Hmph. Fine, on all accounts."

"Work treating you well?"

"About as well as you can for the entertainment industry. Of course, I manage far better than any of my peers in the company but that's to be expected."

"Lola Loud, adult extraordinaire."

"Please, please, enough about me. Tell me, how are things with you?"

A short pause followed on the line. "Oh, well, they're fine. Actu-"

"You know what? I think there's someone who'd like to know about it all more than me. Let me pass the phone."

"Pass to who?"

"Heeeeey, Lincoln."

"Uh oh! Hi, Clyde."

"…"

"…"

"So uh, how goes things?"

"Good. Good."

"…"

"How're things for you?"

"Alright. Alright."

"…"

"…"

"JESUS CHRIST! SAY SOMETHING!" Lola roared.

"What was that?"

"N-nothing! So uh, look Lincoln, I don't know if I did anything at some point or another but, I want to apologize."

An audible sigh was projected from Lincoln. "Clyde, you don't have to-"

"I understand. Just the sound of me is probably sickening to your ears. Heck, you'll probably hop into a shower after this conversation is over. I get it. I really do. Just promise me that one day we may-"

"Clyde, buddy, stop. You did nothing wrong, okay? Absolutely nothing?"

"…Really?"

"Really. In fact, well, I was actually gonna call you sometime soon anyway."

"What for?"

"There's uh, a party I'm hosting over at my place. Some of my co-workers will be there, a couple of my online artist friends, and some others. I wanted to invite you- as long as you wanted to go that is!"

"I'd be happy to show."

"Great! Oh, by the way, it's a costume party, so remember to dress up for it. Oh, and you can bring a plus one too."

"Sounds good."

Clyde gave a thumbs up to Lola who flashed her pearly whites at him in mutual happiness.

"Hey, Lincoln?"

"Yeah?"

"Does it _just_ have to be a plus one?"


	15. Chapter 15

**Author's Note:**

 **God, this chapter took forever to write. I apologize immensely for that. I more or less know exactly where I want to take the story from here and I'm hoping I can inject a bit more excitement into the slower chapters. Still, I hope you enjoy this one.**

 **Question: Should I change the cover art of this story or is it okay?**

 **Boris Yeltin: Funny you should mention the other sisters...**

 **Living a Loud Life**

 **Chapter 15: How Many Does It Take to Screw in a Lightbulb?**

Back at the apartment, Lana was doing a little home improvement.

An electronic hum emanated from the sides of the kitchen refrigerator. The evening sun pierced through the windows of the living room, baking the shared space in gold like a straw field at sunset. Incandescent tube bulbs, used up from age, were placed on the kitchen counter next to a set of replacements Lana was in the process of installing. Near, the dishwasher, a step ladder was secured and on it the Loud worker stood, focused on the task at hand.

This was just one bullet point on a list of the apartment to do's she had been working on the past few hours. This wasn't the exciting wall smashing or Feng shui that got people tv shows though. It was the kind of busywork only she could like.

Right next to the step ladder Charleston slept, grody chew toy under paw and covered in slobber. Lana was humored at the sight. Though he was named in honor of her former dog, the two couldn't be more different. Charles was a hyperenergetic locomotive, always running around and stopping for no one. Charleston, on the other hand, was lazier than a buoy in a lake. Laughing at the thought, Lana returned to her work.

"Almost there…"

It wasn't an _urgent_ repair. Most of the things she planned to do today wouldn't qualify anywhere close to an emergency. But like most of her family when it came to their specialties, Lana had a compulsion to seek out and do it to the best of her ability.

"Done! Pft, and dad said I'd need a professional for this stuff." Lola wiped the sweat off her brow and did a 180 of the room.

"Okay, the kitchen's done. Living room furniture still has a few adjustments to make. I'm saving the fun of the bathroom for last…"

 _Ding!_

The sound of an incoming text drew the mechanic's attention away from her carefully laid out schedule.

"Hmph, Lola better not be asking me to pick up her groceries again. It took a lifetime to find every organic food product she wanted."

Fishing into her pocket, she dragged out her phone only to stare in horror at the name of her ex popping up as the message sender.

 _*Hey Lana! Just wanted to see how you were doing. Hope things aren't too awkward between us. Me and some of the guys were going to grab drink later on. Care to join?_

"Oh boy."

The offer was both tempting and off-putting like a midnight snack in the middle of a diet. On one hand she hadn't hung out with the guys in a while, a pastime she very much missed. Their rowdiness, laxness, and general festive nature was something her roommates lacked, for better and worse. Still, on the other hand, there was the matter of Otis…

" _Jeez! Can't this guy take a hint? I feel like I was pretty direct in how I ended things. God, if it turned out he was a creep all along…_ "

Goosebumps crept up to her elbow as she shuddered at the thought.

" _Ok, I'll just ignore him. He'll get the message then._ "

 _Riiiiing!_

Just as she began putting her phone away a new call came through.

"Jeez, who is it now?!"

"Hello?"

"Hey Lana! It's me."

The caller's voice brought yet another surprise to her this afternoon.

"Lincoln! How's it hanging?"

"It's hanging...fine, I guess? How are you?"

"The usual. A solid okay all around. I've actually been doing some work around the apartment today. You know, you and Clyde really didn't take care of the appliances very well."

"Speaking of Clyde, there's actually something I want to ask you."

" _Uh oh_ ". This was the last thing she wanted to talk about right now. Saturday night was…awkward to say the least. From her practically rubbing all over Clyde's body to throwing up on him, it really wasn't the best of memories. Still…think of how intimate they were made her warm, so much so that her cheeks were ablaze even now thinking of it. "O-oh, really? What about?"

"Well, has Clyde been…suspicious of stuff lately?"

" _Suspicious? Suspicious of what?!"_

"Sorry, but I don't really follow. Is he snooping around in some places he shouldn't or something?"

Lincoln exhaled slowly. "It's just that we talked today, kind of unexpectedly, and it almost felt like he was trying to pry a secret from me. Not that, I have any secrets! It's just, it seems like he thinks I seem like I have one. You know?"

"Riiiiiight."

Though she couldn't see him, Lana imagined Lincoln pinching his nose in frustration. It wasn't her fault. All his sisters had a natural inclination to annoy their brother. Old habits die hard.

"Look, I've just got 'things' in my life right now that I've been trying to sort out recently. I haven't really had the time to focus on anyone but me."

"You're a grown man, Linc. Being selfish once in a while isn't a bad thing; it's called being an adult."

"Yeah… you're right."

"But being an adult doesn't mean you can flake out on your responsibilities. Case in point: were you really never going to fix your leaky kitchen faucet?" Lana inquired accusingly.

Lincoln sputtered nervously from the confrontation. "We looked up internet tutorials! They just lost us after the first few steps."

"Tch, amateurs. It's almost as bad as the time you called me help you replace a flat tire."

"Hey, that was a one-time thing!" Lincoln huffed, pouting to himself. "I know how to do it now. Mostly."

"Suuuuuure ya do. Keep dreaming, Linc."

"Well in the meantime, could you try to keep this conversation a secret? I don't really need to add an extra dish to Clyde's plate of anxieties."

"You know me, bro. I was always the better twin when it came to keeping lips sealed."

"Except when it comes to belching."

"Gotta let something loose every now and then. Otherwise it'll just keep building and building and the only way left to release it is-"

"Okay, okay! I do not need that mental image of my sister in my head."

"It's allllll natural."

"And on that note, I think I'll be leaving. Later, Lana."

"Don't be a stranger, Lincoln!" With that, she hung up her end of the call.

" _Well, back to business_ …"

 _Riiiiiiing!_

"Ugh, now who is it?"

Again, not bothering to look at the caller i.d., Lana picked up the phone and answered a bit crankier than usual.

"Hello?"

"Hey little dudette! How's it going?"

The raspy voice was instantly recognizable to Lana, who's angry demeanor vanished as she lit up like a kid in a candy store the instant she heard it. "Luna? No way! It's been ages!"

"I know, sis. Touring has kept my schedule pretty filled so I've barely had time to squeeze in calls like this one."

"No kidding, from what I've read online, you've been all over the country. Man, I bet you've been taken to some sick parties too."

"Mate, you have no idea. The keg stands and Mary Jane are out of this world." The rocker fondly remembered.

Lana playfully whistled out of jealousy. "Damn, you're lucky."

"Hey, what can I say? By the way, that offer for being an audio engineer and roadie still stands. We can always use a few more helping hands on the bus."

"Sorry sis,h but my answer's the same as it was before I moved out here."

"You know, I never really did get why you decided to move in with Lola again. I figure all that shit she put you through in college would make you wanna be as far away from her as possible."

Lana flinched for a second before replying. "Hehe, well, everyone deserves a second chance."

Though Luna didn't pick up on it, Lana's voice was laced with insincerity. She didn't like talking about what happened in college, much less some of her high school days. As they got older, Lola became more…difficult to deal with in some aspects of life. Sure, she mellowed out of her near god complex, but it didn't exactly get rid of all of her wickedness.

"Shit, I get that. Hell, family deserves one more than anyone. But still brah, she did quite the number on you if I remember. There was that one time when-"

"Luna, it's cool. _We_ are cool now. Yeah, Lola did some nasty stuff to me, but bygones are bygones. Right?"

"If you say so, Lana. By the way, I wasn't calling just to say hi. I actually have a concert in your area in two weeks!"

"Really?"

"Yeah, sis! Well, it's more like we're one of the band headlining or a music festival, but that's nothing to really write home about-"

"You're headlining the Jammapalooza?! Holy freaking cow, that's amazing!"

Lana's excited outburst woke up a certain canine friend of hers, who showed his displeasure through a low growl. She mouthed a quick "sorry" to him, but she didn't feel that guilty. Could you blame her though? Jammapalooza was one of the biggest events the city hosted. It was mecca for party people her age, with some of the craziest and wildest stories coming out of there.

"Heh, it is pretty cool, huh? But yeah, I was kind of hoping to see you there."

Realization of what Luna was actually asking crashed full force into Lana as she experienced emotional whiplash.

"Oh man…"

"Problem, luv?"

"Don't get me wrong, sis. I'd love to go. But there's no way there any tickets left a decent price."

"Welllllll lucky for you, the participating acts get to give VIP passes to whoever they want. Namely, her family and friends."

Lana couldn't believe it. "You mean you're giving me the red-carpet treatment?" An "mhm" from Luna was confirmation. "You're an angel sent from above."

"I consider myself more of a rock god, personally, but whatever floats your boat."

"Seriously, Luna, I can't thank you enough. Oh man, I'm so excited to go now!"

"Hell yeah! You guys are going to love it out here."

Lana slowly caught on to what Luna said in the midst of her celebration. "Uh you said…'guys?'"

"Yeah! All three of you in the apartment plus Lincoln. It'll be a rocking time."

" _I know I said we should be closer, but it feels like forces are conspiring to bring us together more and more._ "

"With all of us Louds around, there's no doubt about that."

"Yup. It'll be- huh, what's that?"

Luna was loudly yelling back and forth with someone off the phone. When she returned to the call, he was noticeably in a rush.

"Oh shoot, I'm needed for rehearsal. I'll talk to you soon to give you the rest of the deets. Peace out, lil' sis!"

"See you…too?"

Of course, the call had already ended by the time Lana had given he goodbye.

"Alright universe, anymore family calls out of the blue? Ooh, how about a surprise visit instead?"

Nobody, however, answered and Lana was left with the silence of the room save for her furry friend below. With a shrug, she climbed down the stepladder and carried it out into the hallway. For the next several hours she went back to the tasks she had earlier planned. She buffs, tinkers, and adjusts anything she can get her paws on. Hell, she even fed all of her pets and took Charleston for a short walk too. By the time she's done, the value of the apartment has increased exponentially.

Satisfied with her work, Lana dropped onto living room couch and checked her phone only to end up facing the same message Otis sent her hours ago. Perhaps it was motivation from being in an empty apartment, seeing as Clyde and Lola were still gone, or maybe it was fate. Whatever it was, she decided to get up off her butt and see her friends for the first time since her breakup.


	16. Chapter 16

**Author's Note**

 **Alright, this chapter is short as fuck. But, it's basically just a small piece that I wanted to experiment some writing styles with. It's way lighter in terms of story content but I like to to think of it as the calm before the storm, if you will. :)**

 **Anyway, I hope you enjoy!**

 **Living a Loud Life**

 **Chapter 16: Keep Your Friends Close and Your Enemies Closer**

It was late in the day when Lola got the call.

She and Clyde had just exited the mall when he remembered some lab mumbo jumbo he had to do. Neither of them drove here, having taken a taxi from their abode. Of course, the driver screwing them out of a few more dollars by going the long way convinced them not to do that again. Instead, they opted towards the rare opportunity of taking the railway. It wasn't inconvenient, but Lola never really liked public transportation in the first place. The only other time she had used it happened to be when she was touring the apartment with Lola. The ride ended with a drugged out passenger pissing themselves in the seat in front of them.

Yeah, that kind of turned her off from the train.

Still, Clyde had insisted for her to try it again as you couldn't get "a better view of the city" than through its metal veins, in his eyes. To her own horror she found herself agreeing to go. Whether it was out an itch for adventure or to have a reward of seeing Clyde's face sparkle with delight, she didn't know. All she did know was that sights from the train were actually better than she initially thought.

Immediately as they got off, however, Clyde had to catch another train to get to his lab and Lola, just getting used to the short-lived adventure, was left all alone.

…for a few minutes at least.

"Hello?"

"Hey Lola, betcha didn't expect to hear from me."

"Lindsey? How did you get my number?!"

"I may have texted Clyde to text me it. I told him you were planning to get makeup tips from me an it would be easier for me to do the contacting."

"Oh, you rotten-"

"Look, before you yell at me, I just wanted to say I had a goodtime Saturday and was wondering if…"

"If?"

"…you wanted to meet with me for coffee. I just got out of work early and was kind of looking for something to do."

"Lindsey it's," Lola glanced at her phone screen, "4 in the afternoon. Who's drinking coffee at this time of the day."

"…People who are addicted to caffeine?"

"Sure. Whatever. Let's go."

Not long after, Lindsey pulled up in her silver SUV and one car ride later they were at a brick café a few blocks over. Inside, there wasn't a line, so the pair was able to walk straight to the register and place their orders without any waiting. Their drinks came nearly instantly, and they grabbed a small little table at the front.

"So," Lola started after taking a sip of English tea, Lindsey countering with a packet of sugar dropped into her cappucino. "anything in particular you wanted to talk about? Money? Connections? …Makeup tips?" The last one was said with a particularly nasty sneer.

"No, no. Nothing like that. It's just…we only started catching up Saturday that I felt we could, I don't know, continue our conversation."

"What's there to continue? I gave you the 411 on my successful life and you blabbed about yourself for a bit. There it is, end of story."

"I mean, that's not ALL we talked about."

"Oh no, we are NOT talking about that again."

"But-"

"Nope."

"I'm just saying"

"Nuh-uh"

"If you two just-"

"What part about 'not talking' did you not understand."

"I get it. I get it."

"…"

"But you are both single so-"

Immediately, Lola got up and proceeded walking to the door.

"Okay, I was joking! No more, Lola! No more!"

Reluctantly, she sat back down, arms crossing in front of her chest.

"Look, honest to god, all I wanted to do was socialize. It may or may not come as a surprise to you, but I haven't made many friends since coming here. Outside of work my life can't get somewhat…lifeless."

"You really just want to talk? That's it?"

"Well yeah. Whatever comes to your mind. I mean, if I recall correctly, you loved talking at tea parties like this as a kid."

"You know what? You're on."

And so they did talk. For a while, actually. The minutes rolled by as stories and words were exchanged between the two girls. Work gossip was spilled, fashion opinions were shared and criticized, celebrities were rated; for the first time in a long while, Lola really felt like a kid again. It was a rare moment to actually experience such a thing, that innocent stage of her life where the only thing mattered was the latest juicy secret she saw around the Loud house or at one of her pageants. Whispering into the ears of her stuffed animals was the only pursuit on her mind. Flash forward to today and those times were nearly alien to her. Simply speaking to Lindsey about of some stuff felt strange on her tongue. Was it an act she just had to get used to? Or was this something that would never feel entirely right again? She couldn't tell. Maybe she was out of practice. Or perhaps this was just what happened with age, and the horrible experiences it brought along with it.

Lindsey peeked out the window to her right. "Oh, it's almost dark. I should probably get going."

"Oh! W-well, I can't stay out too long either. Busy as I am, you know?"

Lindsey smiled, making Lola question if she saw through the lie or not.

"Well I don't want to keep someone like you back from their responsibilities. Come on, I'll drive you."

"No, no, you drove me here, I'll just get a cab-"

"I insist."

Well…she couldn't say no to saving money.

So once again Lola was on a seat, in a ride, looking out the window the city around her. When she walked through the door into her apartment two things crossed her mind.

One: She really needed a car

Two: Talking with Lindsey wasn't so bad after all.


	17. Chapter 17

**Author's Note:**

 **Hey again! I apologize for the long wait. Life's been hectic and I preferred reading other people's works rather than actually taking the time to sit down and write. I found the drive again though to finally finish up this chapter. I hope you enjoy!**

 **Living a Loud Life**

 **Chapter 17: Bring the House Down**

The days rolled by, and lives of the three roommates rolled on. Lana never shared her reunion with her friends to anyone else. Lola never revealed she met up with Lindsey Sweetwater on her own. And Clyde continued to deal with his research and taxing T.A. duties alone.

Eventually the weekend arrived, and the trio geared up for what was to be an eventful evening.

"Please tell me if I look stupid in this."

"You look fine. If anything, it suits you."

"What is that supposed to mean?!"

"Hey, it's not an insult! I swear!"

"Guys, hurry up! We don't wanna be late."

"I'm coming, I'm coming."

"Anyone seen my shoes?!"

For the more rugged twin, this moment brought a nostalgic happiness of days past, when their house of fourteen was all packed together, scrambling to leave the house. It was bittersweet, knowing those moments were behind them, but she treasured those memories all the same.

Soon, the trio had made their way to Lana's truck. Clyde offered to drive since the last time Lana had driven a group with a GPS ended with a fifteen car pileup. Lola called shotgun shockingly, mumbling something about better airbags, leaving Lana to have the back all to herself.

"Everybody ready?" Clyde asked

"As ready as I'll ever be in this." Lola gesture to her costume. Lana stifled a giggle before turning her attention towards to the driver seat.

In classic fashion, Clyde had opted to dress like his favorite comic book here, One Eyed Jack. Obviously, his childhood outfit didn't fit anymore, so Clyde made adjustments and eventually retrofitted a few clothes he had (and one old tablecloth for a cape).

The second he'd talked about his own costume plans, Lana became fixated with the idea and dragged Lola into going as their own comic book counterparts, The Royal Flush and Queen of Diamonds respectively. They too, were far too big for their old costumes, a fact Lola lamented before cursing the lack of effectiveness of her weight loss program. But rather than go through the effort of stitching together a couple of parts from their clothes, they instead simply asked their older sister Leni, to design a few new suits for them. Unsurprisingly, she gladly took the job, free of charge. She simply asked for their measurements and went to town. Clyde wasn't sure how it was possible she could design form fitting clothes for the duo without them being with her in person but when their order came Lana and Lola found themselves in perfect fitting outfits.

"All good to go. Let's hit the road, Jack." Lana mock saluted with a smile. Clyde laughed and gave a salute of his own.

Lola was less than impressed. "Please leave the puns to Luan."

Before Lana could smarmily reply, Clyde interrupted with a question of his own.

"You guys aren't gonna fight the whole night…right?"

"…"

"Riiiight?" Clyde repeated with emphasis.

"Suuuuure." Lana replied.

"Of course not." Lola answered.

"…You two definitely crossed your fingers behind your backs."

"Whaaat? How could you ever accuse us of something like that?"

"Dang, it was that obvious?"

"Lana!"

"What? The jig was up?"

"Ugh, I swear! This is exactly why-"

" _Well, we're off on a roaring start. I wonder how you're doing on your end, Lincoln."_

 _A few hours earlier…_

Lincoln Loud was many things. He was a planner, organizing his day and routine to meticulous detail. He was a samaritan, willing to sacrifice his own happiness to help others out. Above all else though, hew was a brother to ten sisters, being the middle child they both looked out for and were looked over by.

If there was one thing he was not, however, it was being a good liar.

It wasn't that he willingly blabbed secrets of others like Lola used to. It was more like if put in any position where the lie had to be stretched further, he would easily expunge the truth. Basically, lying while someone wasn't around was doable. But lying to someone's face? Nope.

For the past several weeks Lincoln had minimized his contact with practically everyone. His phone calls with his siblings were deliberately short and he only touched his social media pages to congratulate birthdays. The worst of it all was that he had to basically avoid all communication with his best pal, Clyde, for risk of exposure. It was torture! He knew his friends and family were probably beginning to suspect something (if not already having their own intuitions on the matter) but he wanted to put off the confrontation for as long as he could.

Because of the reality of the situation was…well…

"Linc? You almost done there?"

"Just a second, honey."

The worst part was keeping it from _her._ Lying to your friends was one thing. Lying to the partner you were living with though? Lincoln could just feel the guilt bubble in his stomach.

Realizing it was futile to try and sweep any more dust from the floor, Lincoln put aside the old broom he had been using for cleaning. Before he could turn around however, a pair of arms snaked around his stomach, holding him in place.

Lincoln had grown well for himself, having a lean, but fit frame of slightly above average height. He still favored the colors of his youth and wore a pair of dark navy jeans along with a short sleeved mandarin button down. The shirt in question, was currently being gripped by his girlfriend, who was only a mere inch taller than. She, unlike Lincoln, was already dressed for the party. A white spandex suit clung to her tanned skin and a long light blue scarf hung around her neck. A pair of ski goggles rested on her forehead to complete her cosplay.

"So…everything ready to go?"

"With the exception of me being trapped by you, I'd say yeah." Lincoln playfully responded.

The vibrations of the giggle from behind him reverberated through his back. He couldn't help chuckling back.

"Well there are somethings I like keeping to myself you know. Considering in just a few hours we're going to be letting people into our little home, I feel like I could take a little time just to hold onto you for now."

The white-haired man quirked an eyebrow. "You're making it sound like I'm about to be shared."

"Ha, that's not my preference. I prefer having you all to myself."

"Aww, aren't you sweet and possessive."

"Isn't that why you fell for me in the first place?"

"Sure, Linc. Let's go with that."

Smiling, Linc let go of his embrace of her.

"Besides, if anyone is being shared in this relationship, it's going to be me."

"Huh, is that so?"

"Come on, look at me!" Lincoln gestured exaggeratedly at his body. "People would love to get a piece of this."

The woman opposite him tapped her chin and tilted her head. She gave him a once-over before humming to herself.

"Hmm, I'm not so sure. I'm getting real 'eh' vibes from here."

"What? What's not to like?"

"Well…"

A sultry smile tugged at her lips as her hands traveled to his collar.

"First of all, this shirt is in the way."

Lithe fingers danced around Lincoln's collar before undoing the top button of his polo.

"Ohhh, really?" Lincoln smirked.

"Mhm."

"Well then…think you can show me what else might help?"

"I'd be glad to."

 _Present Time_

"-and that's why the cassowary is the perfect spirit animal for you." Lana commented.

"Your conclusion after all of that is that I'm some big dumb bird?!"

"Oh, thank god, we're here."

Clyde let out a huge sigh of relief as the sign for Rolling Hills Apartment Complex appeared on their left. A set of respectable condos were laid out in a L shape. An open window gym, most likely for the residents, stood off next to an outdoor pool. In between were rows of parking for all those living in the spaces or just visiting. Clyde was internally grateful that Lincoln chose a place with no needed guest pass or limited parking.

Lana peeked over the side of the driver seat. "Nervous?"

"Huh? What?"

"I'm just asking because you started zoning out for a second."

"You're also squeezing the steering wheel for all it's worth."

"Heh, would you look at that." Clyde tugged at the collar of his super suit.

"Relax, man." Lana said while soothingly rubbing his shoulder. "Nothing's going to happen."

Lola, who had begun filing her nails, chimed in. "Yeah, and what's the worst that can happen? All of or relationships irrevocably torn apart?"

Dead silence hung in the car, worse than the time Lucy had tried making a pun.

"Alright, I'm just gonna park over here and…"

One-Eyed Jack opened the door, jumped out, and began dry heaving on the ground. Royal Flush and the Queen of Diamonds slowly got out of the car themselves. After seeing the condition of Clyde, Lana threw up her arms in anger.

"Congratulations, Lola. You gave him a panic attack."

Lola shrugged her shoulders in response. "Better out here rather than in here. It's just like a beauty pageant, make sure you get everything out of your system before you go on stage."

"Didn't you usually take diuretics for that?" Lana questioned.

Lola grabbed her twin by the shoulders before staring her down, icy fury in her soul. "That's a CONSPIRACY! It was never proven!"

Having faced this kind of Lola a million times by now, Lana merely rolled her eyes before breaking out of her grip. "Whatever you say, drama queen."

The Royal Flush knelt down and patted One-Eye Jack on the back. "Clyde? Buddy? You done dying there?

"I'll…live."

"Great, 'cause you can have the honor of knocking."

"Oh, sure. Not a problem."

" _Come on, Clyde. It's just a simple knock you can do this."_

The thing was, it was far from simple for him. This was a small step for One-Eyed Jack, and a big step for Clyde McBride. All the pent-up emotions he'd been holding onto over the past weeks, all the questions he'd had about his and Lincoln's friendship were finally coming to a head here. Even though Lola was probably far from serious when saying it, things could irrevocably change or even destroy their relationship. Every step Clyde took at this party, he would have to carefully monitor. Every word he took would have to be measured against a set of others. Ever breath he took would-

"Any day now would be great!" Lola yelled.

 _"Screw it. Time to rip off the band-aid."_

Before he could take the initiative however, the door was opened.

"-more air through the front. I swear the ventilation here…"

Whatever words were to come trailed off as Clyde stared at the figure in the entranceway. It didn't take an Ace Savvy genius to recognize the costume of the woman in front of him as the High Card. Everything, from the shoes to the goggles, was on point. What did take a second for him to register was he face of who it all belonged to. It was the last face he ever expected to find out here. Similarly, it seemed the woman also was not expecting this particular company at all in the slightest.

"Uh…hi, there?" Lana gave a little wave to which the woman gave no reaction.

Lola, put off by the bizarreness of this interaction, cleared her throat before addressing the new High Card. "Sorry, we might have the wrong apartment. We were looking for a party and it looks like we got address. We'll be out of your way in no time- "

"Clyde?"

"Stella? What are you doing here?"

"Hey honey, everything okay up there?"

" _No way…_ "

"For a second I could've sworn I heard…"

Out of the entranceway popped another friendly face. Donned in an Ace Savvy suit, his prominent buck teeth stuck out of his smile. However, the second he laid eyes upon the scene before him, his lips took the form of a thin line.

"Ah."

"Oh."

"Well then…"

Lana leaned to whisper into Lola's ear. "This is awkwaaard."

Everyone heard.


	18. Chapter 18

**Living a Loud Life**

 **Chapter 18: Beat Around the Bush**

Ever had a really uncomfortable moment? The kind where you'd love to just exit stage left and not have to deal with anything resulting from it?

That's how everyone felt here.

For what seemed like eternity, not a soul among the five talked. It was a Mexican standoff, with no one willing to fire off the conversation.

That is, until Lola got sick of it.

"Would someone say something already?!"

"H-hey there, Clyde. Long time no see, huh?" Lincoln asked, anxious sweat dripping from his forehead.

"Uh huh."

"I uh, assume you have a lot of questions."

"Uh huh." Clyde stiffly answered.

"Well, um, why don't you come inside?"

"Uh huh."

"Pssst. Clyde. That means walk forward."

"Uh h-"

"You know what, I'm just gonna bring him in for ya."

With her hands on his baack, Lana pushed Clyde's frozen body through the doorway with Lola following steadily behind. Lola, bewildered by situation, hesitantly brought up the rear.

Upon entering the abode two things were made abundantly clear: Lincoln's place was bigger than they thought and so too, was the party. This wasn't just a small, dinky, apartment nor the slightly better space that the twins and Clyde currently lived in. No, this was a huge upgrade from that. The walls and floor all looked new. The lighting bathed the space in a cozy glow. Several beautifully rendered posters of comic book characters in all sorts of art styles hung from the walls.

But was most impressive was the size of the crowd present. This wasn't just the little ten person get together that Clyde, Lola, and Lana had envisioned their geeky brother to have. No, there were at least a good fifty people milling about, from the lounge area to the kitchen in the back and the mall backyard out further. People chatted with drinks in hand on stairs that led up, seemingly, to the bedrooms.

"Yeah well like I was saying, I- ow!"

Lincoln grabbed his right shoulder in pain as Lola stood next to him, menacingly cracking her knuckles.

"That's for ghosting us for weeks, jerk!"

"Ooh! Throw one in for me, Lola!"

Another yelp was let out as Lola punched Lincoln's shoulder again. He silently thanked Lynn wasn't here to give him two more for flinching. "Hey! I was busy! And you two had work!"

"Like that's any excuse!" Lola protested.

"But it is one!"

"Yeah, well…phooey!"

Lincoln rubbed his forehead in exasperation. "Ugh, sisters."

"Yeah, sisters." Stella responded.

Lincoln quirked an eyebrow at her to which she dismissively raised her hands."Not that I have one, though. You know, single child here, heh."

"I wouldn't know." Lola bluntly stated.

Lana, achieving secondhand embarrassment from this interaction, reached a simple conclusion.

" _Oh, I need to get drunk._ "

Stella smiled as bumped Lincoln in the arm. "Hehe, I almost forgot what it was like being around your family."

Lincoln smirked fondly at her. "Well, I'll never forget. That's for sure."

"Ahem."

The pair, startled at the noise, turned to see a visibly uncomfortable Clyde clearing his throat. Lincoln scratched the light stubble around his chin before patting Clyde on the back, albeit a bit more forced than natural.

"Heh, hey buddy. Once again, I'm glad you could make it."

Clyde nervously rubbed the back of his neck. "Heh, no problemo pal. Not like I'd miss this for the world."

"Ahhh, well now that we've all been reacquainted, it's time to finally party!" Lana announced her intentions to the world, letting out a phenomenal battle cry as well.

Lola gave Lana the side eye. "You are not going to mooch off of someone's rum, right?"

Lana turned to face her sis. "Please, you know me."

Lola let out a relaxed breath before she tensed up the clanking of glass behind Lana's back. "I brought my own bottle with me!"

With that, the girl ran off into the heart of the party.

"Where did she keep that?"

"You don't wanna know." Lola deadpanned. "Say, Stella."

"Yes?" The tan girl replied, still nonplussed from the bottle reeal.

"You wouldn't happen to have some advil, would you? I have a feeling I'm gonna have a headache later tonight."

"Actually, yeah. I think I have some in my backpack. Come this way."

Hastily, Stella tugged Lola up the stairs, out of the foyer, and away from the impending conversation that was about to happen between the two old buddies. Perhaps other partygoers had sense this coming doom, because the space around them was seemingly empty and quiet.

"Hey, Lincoln." Clyde spoke.

"Y-yes?"

Clyde swallowed a lump in his throat. "I just wanted to say…you see."

" _Why is my mind blank?! Come on, words!"_

"Sometimes you know, I feel, well…you know how-"

"Oh shoot! I forgot to unplug my hair dryer."

"Rain check on this convo, Clyde!"

Before Clyde could even get a word in, Lincoln was off down the hall, swallowed by the mass of partyers.

"…Nice talking to you, too."

Glum wasn't a word Clyde often used to describe himself. But right now? In this festive, costume themed bash? Glum was the perfect word for him. He felt like shit. Like the shadows in the room had clung to his back in a cape befitting a villain. He felt cold, like the heat of his body had left him and all the remained was his cool corpse and ever moody brain.

Honestly, he felt like Haiku, or at least what he imagined her to feel like on a good day.

This suddenly weird turn of thoughts was interrupted by walking down the hall, bobbing his head offbeat to the dance music in the background. Now Clyde might not have been an expert on human health, but he was one hundred percent certain that dude was on some stuff. Looking down at the tray carrying a batch of brownies and well, he assumed he wasn't wrong.

Now normally, Clyde McBride would have ignored such acts of tomfoolery, never wanting to inhibit his body too much in any way. Yet with the trajectory his night started off on his sprit was far from keeping himself composed. More than anything, he just wanted to feel good.

"Hey man, mind if I have one?"

* * *

"Damn, I didn't realize how nice Lincoln's place was."

As Lola and Stella climbed the stairs past buzzed young women and men, the came upon the second floor which surprisingly, seemed even cleaner than the first. The gray carpeted floor softly absorbed the sounds of their steps. Now that Lola thought about it, she was even more shocked that with so many drunk people around, there wasn't a single noticeable stain on the white walls.

"Oh, yeah. Lincoln told me once he left your house, he became ultra aware of how messy he used to lived. Said he wanted to present 'his best self' to the world so he ended becoming as much of a neat freak as Clyde."

"Those two are more alike than they know. I sometimes think Lincoln was adopted too and they happen to actually be twins with how in tune they are."

Stella flashed a grin. "Ha, well a twin would know, wouldn't they? In here."

"Damn, even the bathroom is nice."

Lola stepped after Stella into a small but fresh, smelling bathroom at the end of the hall. It reminded Lola of their family's bathroom back home, minus the dozens of kids having to use it of course. Stella opened the mirror above the sink, revealing a compartment with a few toiletries and items neatly lined up. Lola was about to question where Stella's supposed backpack was before noticing that she was going through the items on the shelves like she'd used them before. She also noticed a familiar bottle of hair shampoo from her childhood.

"Uh, isn't this Lincoln's stuff?"

Stella paused. A moment passed with her back visibly tensing. A second later, she turned around and gave a sheepish smile. There was a look in her that Lola was familiar with, one she often saw in her sisters when trying to cover their blunders up. "Hehe, funny story…"

"Wait a second…you live here?!"

Lola freaked.

Stella put her finger on her lips in a quieting gesture. "Shhh! Keep it down!"

"Keep it down?! Keep it down that my only brother is living alone with a girl?"

"Yes!"

"How do you expect me to do that?!" Lola whisper-shouted.

"Look, Lincoln decidedly didn't tell anyone about this until he started inviting people to this party. Hell, he hasn't told anyone in your family, or his friends back home."

"Why the hell would he do that?!"

Stella threw her hands up in anger. "Because maybe they'd react as crazy as you!"

"Oh…"

* * *

"Well, well, well. Looks like it's my lucky day. Empty line at the food table. Perfect."

With dart like movements, Lana stuffed her mouth with snacks high in carbs, not seeing the need in a plate because, well, she was Lana. In her peripheral vision, a figure came to be next to her.

"I'm surprised to see you using your hands to eat these days."

Lana spun around, cheeks stuff with cheese and crackers, to come face to face with a familiar face from these recent days.

"Lindsey? What the heck are you doing here?"

Lindsey shrugged, grabbing a cookie off the table and nibbling on it. "I happen to live with one of Lincoln's coworkers. I know, small world and all. Lincoln invited all his her who in turn asked if I wanted to be her plus one and I figure, why not?"

Lana cocked an eyebrow. "Wait, Lincoln has coworkers? I thought he just sat all day in front of his desk here drawing."

"Ah, I wish it was that easy sis."

Lincoln strolled up from behind Lana, hand lightly squeezing her shoulder in familiarity. "I'm lucky if I can have a quarter of my time devoted to drawing. Most of the time I'm editing the more popular works under our label. We usually work in small teams or pairs."

Lana pouted. "You never mentioned any of that before!"

Lincoln crossed his arms and met her eyes with his own. "Yeah well, if you had an office job, would you talk about all the boring paperwork you filled out?"

"First off, you wouldn't catch me dead at an office. And second, I'm your sister! I want to know everything you've been up to!"

"Alright look, there's a lot I've been wanting to tell you all…"

Lindsey's eyes darted between the siblings. "Um, this seems pretty personal."

"I just haven't been able to decide if you guys would take it all well."

"So, it's a matter of trust?"

"Yeaaaah, I think I'm just gonna…"

"Come on, Lana. Take it from my point of view. History has shown that you and the rest of the family don't take all my independent ventures very well."

Lana snorted. "Come on, man. You're overreacting."

"Luan and Lynn literally drove to my dorm and blackmailed the RA when I joke texted Lori about feeling targeted by room checks."

"Sooooo, there may or may not be a few isolated incidents."

"A few?"

"But do you seriously believe we'd intervene that heavily these days?"

"…"

"Lincoln?"

" _Oh this is the worst._ "

"I…don't know."

"Lincoln…"

"Oh Lana, don't take it personally."

"I know you all mean well, but it can be hard to see over all the chaos. Seriously, it's like trying to speak over a tornado sometimes! On those days you just get lost in the flow with people."

"Anyways don't sweat it. I will talk to you guys. And soon. Promise."

"…okay."

"Okay."

"Aaaand it looks like one of my coworkers just vomited on the grass. I should probably look after him. See ya soon?"

"Yeah..."

Of course, by the time she replied, Lincoln had already headed out the backdoor.

"Ouchhhh."

"Well, I definitely saw something I shouldn't have.

Lana snorted. "As if that makes any difference. You heard it yourself. Or maybe not. I am the type to 'get lost in the flow' after all."

"Lana?"

"In fact… I may as well get lost in the flow now. This is a party after all! There's nothing better to do. Hell, there's nothing else to do at all!"

"Lana, wait!" Lindsey grabbed her arm and pulled her back. A combative look crossed the tomboy's face, one which had Lindsey shrinking in on herself.

"What?! What is it? Gonna tell me calm down, huh? Ask a Loud not to be loud? Is that it?"

"No, I wanted to ask you…"

She wouldn't be able to argue against Lana in a state like this. Doing so would just isolate her further. No, Lindsey reasoned the best thing was to get on her side. Be her buddy, for lack of a better word, and be by her side through the night.

Like lightning, Lindsey snatched Lana's rum bottle and took a big gulp before asking.

"Do you prefer shots or beer?"


	19. Chapter 19

**Author's Note:**

 **I had a horrible case of writing block these last couple of months. There were a lot of scenarios I was considering for this portion of the story that I ultimately changed. Hopefully, the end result works for you all. I sincerely apologize for the delay.**

 **I hope everyone here, as well as their family and friends is safe during this pandemic! Well get through this!**

 **Living a Loud Life: Chapter 19**

 **Chapter 19: You Can Lead A Horse To Water But You Can't Make It Drink**

"Hey, Lincoln! Cool party, man."

"Thanks for having us over, dude."

"Always knew, you were good people, Loud."

"Thanks, guys."

On the outside, Lincoln was the image of a cool and collected party host.

On the inside? He was freaking out.

The whole Clyde and siblings deal hit him unexpectedly, right when he thought his guard was up. It was like a spearhead finding the weak point in a suit of armor.

It's not like he hadn't at some point expected a confrontation. He had planned for it numerous times in his head, thinking of all possible angles and outcomes that could derive from it when approached in a multitude ways. But planning and actually following through are completely different things, and the moment he thought he had his feet planted, Lincoln stumbled.

And oh boy, oh man, was he regretting that.

Currently, he was outside, watching one of his co-editors, Garret, dry heave on the lawn after a bout of actual vomit had left his mouth.

" _Lucky me for the distraction._ "

To be truthful, putting off all these talks was the worst thing, he could be doing now. But hey, he had put it off for months anyways. How bad could one more night be?

The answer to that, however, is something Lincoln would regrettably learn very soon.

"It's just weird, you know?"

Stella and Lola had migrated from the bathroom to the top of the staircase. Their bodies may have inconvenienced traffic between floors, but the duo was too engrossed in their conversation to care. It was weird, admittedly, the two of them having such a private chat together, considering neither had the need nor want to do so in all the years they knew each other. In many ways, the pair felt like strangers to each other. And yet here, through the sharing of Ace Savvy costumes and the coziness of the steps, the talk they had felt natural, as if they had done the very same thing for years.

"I mean, here's someone I thought I knew my whole life, my shining knight of a brother, paragon of truth. Yet here he is, having a whole nother life right behind our backs."

Stella chuckled to herself. "You're making it sound like we're married with kids, Lola."

Lola shrugged her shoulders. "Eh, I give it 2 years."

A blush coated Stella's cheeks. "U-um, I don't think-"

"But it's wrong, you know? I mean, don't get me wrong, I have nothing against you being with Lincoln or vice versa but… neither telling us about this relationship or how serious it was feels seriously screwy."

Lola rested her chin on her knees with a thousand-yard stare emanating from her eyes. Despite the lack of having any personal encounters with the girl beforehand, Stella felt a strange sense of sympathy for her.

"And it's not like Lincoln hasn't lied before. Heh, I probably exaggerated the whole paragon thing. He has lied. A lot. But, even then, he always came clean about it to us, our family I mean."

A faint smile ghosted the Loud's lips before thinning out into a line.

"The guilt would eat at him, you know? That, or he'd realize just how more damaging keeping the truth away from us was then telling it straight. Lincoln's always had the best conscience out of all of us."

"Lincoln's allllways been the DUMBEST in our family. You know THAT?"

For the past half hour, Lana had been drunkenly stumbling through a one-sided conversation with Lindsey on a couch. It was a rant, barely comprehensible by now due to how wasted Lana had gotten as well as the fact that Lindsey was slowly catching up to her in alcohol consumption. Lana was too distracted to really notice earlier, but Lindsey was wearing a vampire costume, specifically one from the show Lucy used to be a huge fan of. Lindsey had explained that it was based on the character Griselda only her own version was, "far more fashionable and decade fitting" than the show's. Lana assumed it was because it showed off her boobs.

Lindsey leaned her head back on the couch and groaned. "This is like, the fifth time you've TOLD me."

"Yeah, well, who's counting?"

Slamming her can on the armrest, Lindsey stared at Lana. "I am, dummy."

"Oh yeah? Who asked you?"

"YOU did."

"...Touché."

Lindsey could only facepalm herself from the sheer stupidity at display.

"But as I was saying-"

"Uggggh."

"I just don't get how everyone seems to look up to him ALL the time, you know? I mean sure, he can witty and come up with plans on the spot, but for every good one he has there's another one jut waiting to backfire. I couldn't count how many of Lincoln's convoluted ideas ended in disaster."

"I mean, isn't that normal? Doesn't everyone have their good days and bad days?"

"Yeah? I mean, I guess so…"

"Look Lana, take tit- I mean it, from his perspective."

"Whatever you say, boob." Lana snickered.

Ignoring the comedic comment worthy of Luan, Lindsey pushed on.

"Imagine for one second you're the only girl in a house with ten other brothers, brother who are constantly vying for the attention of their parents. Imagine how competitive it is and how at the end of it all, there's only one sibling not caught up in it all. There's only one person who can listen to and give unbiased advice and help to every child in the house. Now tell me, does THAT sound fair?!"

"Well if you word it like that, of course it's not gonna sound fair!"

"Whoa man, you suuure you've done this before?"

In the kitchen, Clyde was consuming brownie after brownie from the guy he met earlier. The effects, at the time, were minimal and due to his lack of knowledge on the subject of weed (or any recreational drugs for that matter), Clyde merely thought he hadn't had enough. Before the man could ask again, Clyde took another brownie and swallowed it whole.

"Dude, are you sure you're fine?"

Clyde gave a pat to the man's shoulder. "Totally. This is nothing, Commissioner."

"Commissioner? What are you-"

"Shh! No time, Commissioner! My instincts tell me Ace is in danger! I've got to go after him!"

Fishing some cash out of his pocket, Clyde handed a wad of bills to the man. Before he could refuse, Clyde readjusted his costume's eyepatch, and sped out into the hallway.

And with that, the caped hero was gone.

"…I'm gonna need another one of these."

It was past midnight now, and the majority of partygoers were well deep into their drink reserves for the evening. The music had slowed down from a high energy rhythmic vibe to a slower, more melodic chill ambience. The outside air had become more frigid and a breeze caused the grasses to calmly dance on the ground. Lincoln was tapping the neck of beer bottle with his finger while internally debating what to do.

" _Alright, you've done enough moping. Clyde deserves that talk and you're gonna give it to him. Time for action."_

"Lincoln Looooud!"

" _Or not."_ He glumly thought to himself.

Drunkenly stumbling out the house came Lindsey Sweetwater, plastered and angry beyond reason.

"You…youuuuuuuu bastard."

"Uh, what?"

"You, and your goodie two shoes brotherly love, and your plans, and your monologues to non-existent people!"

"I had to l hear about all of that and how much of a pain it all was to experience it first-hand. And you know what? With how torturous it was hearing it all, I'm beginning to agree. You're nothing but a no-good poser! You can claim to be all nice and sweet and stuff, but behind all that helpful nature is a selfish prick who feels better about himself when he fixes the problems of others. Well screw you and your messiah complex!"

"Uh…who are you?"

"I'M….so drunk right now."

"And I'm Lana. Hi Lincoln, I'm about throw up."

Right on cue, the inebriated Loud puked all over the grass, with a few chunks hitting Lindsey's kicks in the process.

"Aw not again!"

"Oh boy. What did I do to deserve this?"

"Ace!"

Through the backdoor came Clyde, madly dashing as if there was an emergency. He stopped, just before crashing into Lincoln, and leaned over to catch his breath, his sweaty palms resting on his knees.

"I found you just in time. You guard the civilians; I'll take care of these villains!"

"I'm sorry, what?"

Clyde spun around to face Lana and Lindsey, fists up like an old timey boxer. "It's just us, you evildoers. Just us…here for justice!"

Lana massaged her temple while outwardly groaning. "Argh, not puns, too! I thought I escaped that!"

Lincoln threw his hands up in the air. "Is anyone else totally lost here or is it just me?"

Woozily balancing herself, Lana pointed straight at the aforementioned host of the party. "Look here, Lincoln! We're gonna MAKE you admit everything."

Lindsey chimed in, albeit much more tiredly. "Yeah, you better, urgh, come clean while you still can. Oh boy…"

"Hey, are you okay? You don't look so good. Maybe you should lie d-"

"Shut up! The only way you're getting us to leave is in body bags."

"Ah, crud."

And with that, Lindsey passed out onto the ground.

"Hey!"

"Oh shit."

Lincoln kneeled down on the ground, trying to assess her condition. Lana, meanwhile, tried to contain herself from hurling again as Clyde began freaking out.

"Man down, man down! Ace, we need to call in an airlift stat."

"Not now, Clyde. Just lemme-"

It was at this precise second that Stella and Lola entered the fold.

"Lincoln! I have some word for you, mister- Lindsey?"

"What the hell did you guys do?!" Stella exclaimed.

"We may, or may not have had a couple of beers too many."

Lola narrowed his eyes at her twin sibling. "Define a couple, Lana."

"Eh, I lost count."

"Guys? I think something's wrong with her."

"…Come on, Clyde. I know she's not the best, but now is hardly the time to be pointing that out."

"No, I'm being serious she-"

"Holy shit." Lincoln's sudden sober voice cut through the pandemonium. "She's seizing!"

"Lincoln, shut the music off and get people inside. Lana especially needs to go in and drink lots of water. We don't need her dehydrating on top of this."

Acting quickly, Stella took the choker off Lindsey's neck and used the cape from her own High Card costume as a pillow for Lindsey's head. Lincoln, without hesitation, holding onto Lana's hand and corralled her and the rest of the guests inside.

"Lola, call 911." Stella commanded.

"Y-yeah. On it."

Lincoln came out from the apartment towards the outside speaker system. Shifting his attention to Lola, the two siblings held an unspoken conversation for the briefest of seconds. To an outsider of the family, one would just think they were looking to family for support. Yet a thousand words passed between in that moment. Words that would need to be voiced later but for now, were enough to give both of them strength and focus in the interim.

Lola gave one last glance at Lindsey before pulling out her phone and heading into the apartment to call.

"Clyde, back up." Stella spoke.

"Uh, I can help."

Lincoln grabbed Clyde by the bicep and looked dead in his eyes. "No offense Clyde, but you can't. Not the way that you are right now."

Those words were a bucket of cold water to Clyde in that moment. All the haziness, and drug induced fervor he had up into that point was washed away with a sharp, stabbing truth. Sure, on the surface level, Lincoln may have been talking about his physical state. But looking into his pupils and expression, Clyde saw what Lincoln really meant beneath those words.

That hurt him.

By the time the EMS had arrived and loaded up Lindsey, the party had unofficially ended. Lincoln took Lola along with him to the hospital while Stella watched over Lana inside the apartment. Clyde, however, remained rooted to that spot out in the back.

Things changed after that.


End file.
